


Unforgettable Silhouette 3: Snow Covered Shadows

by Yangu_Fuyu_Nemiko



Series: Shadows On The Walls [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: And back again., And we can still laugh at the "should be 4/5 chapters", Blooming I blame you, But its roughly up to 205K entirely, But takes elements from further Volumes at the same time, F/M, Friendship/Love, I am not doing the word count with this one, I guess I should mention there are background OCs?, Is this called RosePine now?, It was just to Atlas., Most of Unforgettable Silhouette tags are the same, Or that he has to cart 9 children across another country for the lolz, Oscar is a precious farm boy and he needs to be protected at all costs damn it, Oscar is still a little shit btw if you were curious, Ozpin is also continues to be a little shit too if you're wondering he didn't just stop, Qrow still can't drink enough to forget he started all of this, Rose Garden, RoseGarden, Tags Are Hard, The people on Vale's council suck and they treat everyone like crap, The story in which the author needs to remember Oscar and Ruby are a thing, This doesn't follow from the end of Volume 3 onwards, This still isn't done, This story won't stop but won't write itself, Time travel from the previous story still affects now, and Arkos too, but also that Jaune and Pyrrha are one as well and so are Ren and Nora, but they're Oscar's classmates because he needs to talk to someone!, send help still please, since this shouldn't've been more then ONE, so semi background but forefront Renora, yay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-08-08 22:09:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 60,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16437725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yangu_Fuyu_Nemiko/pseuds/Yangu_Fuyu_Nemiko
Summary: It’s time to go to Atlas to bring about the end of the embargo, and the worldwide communications black-out. RWBY and JNPR have their last year exam with an unwilling bird of a proctor, plus one extra tagalong Oscar Pine. They run into several physical and metaphorical walls and meet some old and new friends along the way while trying to finish their exams alive. This should be much easier than their last mission…right? Graduation just might be harder.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this was started and written before volume 6 became a thing. So it doesn't follow Volume 6. Hell. This series doesn't even follow 5 or 4. ...Which you guys should know if you've read the previous two stories. If you've clicked on this, and haven't come from the previous stories, please go read them to avoid spoilers and confusion.  
> This is my first venture into publishing without the use of fanficion as well, so this is a new experience. I ranted about why in a previous chapter if you can't remember the reason. It still stands.  
> With that have fun, maybe bring tissues? Bring s comfy seat I know that much.  
> Blooming, I still blame you! (But also hi, I wrote a thing!)

Unforgettable Silhouette 3: Snow Covered Shadows  
  
It’s time to go to Atlas to bring about the end of the embargo, and the worldwide communications black-out. RWBY and JNPR have their last year exam with an unwilling bird of a proctor, plus one extra tagalong Oscar Pine. They run into several physical and metaphorical walls and meet some old and new friends along the way while trying to finish their exams alive. This should be much easier than their last mission…right? Graduation just might be harder.

 

_Raise your voices we’ll make it to the goal line. Don’t you look back: nothing there ever lasts but fading thought. I know we’ll reach it, we’re not the ones to fall behind, or to look back. Our hearts in tune and now dreams become reality. So, let’s shake it off and behold: Embrace it all no matter what unfolds. Memories will become just silhouettes. And we have searched too far and too long. So, forget your mistakes, it’s time to move on! The race we’re against the time we have days look bleak, but complete with our laughs! And can’t you feel it? The beating of our hearts they feel so aligned. Remembering the things that hold our bonds. So, forget all the hurt, it’s time to move on! Your soul, it wants the dream that haunts this beating heart! I know it’s yearning I know it believes in all that it can’t see, but still conceals it! But some things never change in your memories! That is what you’ve taught me today. Memories of you turn into silhouettes! We’ll go, we’ll cry, we’ll laugh beneath the sun! Cherishing our lives that we hold: hold my hand, we’ll fly away today!  
— [Moni](https://youtu.be/XLfj34ZrmLo)  
_

_Other music:  
Kana-boon — Baton Road ([Anba / English Ver](https://youtu.be/V2Q55recZdI))  
[Clay Aiken](https://youtu.be/fQl61DfzGlk) — I Will Carry You_

 

 

Chapter 1

 

There was a murmur about the fourth years that there’d be one last assignment.  
What it actually would be, or what it would entail, none of the students knew.  
They could speculate, sure, from last year: theirs was an offshore mission that required teams to be Huntsmen on real missions, for longer durations, under a proctor that marked their every move against a scoreboard that went against a huge chunk of their total end of year mark.  
It was apparently like no other mission they had ever taken, so a previous student said.  
Ruby wasn’t the only one from teams RWBY and JNPR to laugh at that.  
Try going up against the forces of evil in a sudden mission, then get back to them about it being about _no other mission_ , ever.  
  
Though this year, students were being left in the dark, them and Huntsmen alike due to the shortage of dust and ammo coming out of Atlas. It also left teachers unsure of how to proceed with the usual missions and the status quo of which to give out to whom.  
Some teams, who didn’t rely as heavily on ammo and dust: who had weapons who didn’t need such things to operate had a better chance of being deployed.  
No one hated the new system but wished they could do more with the Grimm threat as much as they could about the shortage of dust.  
  
It was the beginning of the school week when Ruby and her team were getting ready to go to class, walking across the rebuilt grounds of Beacon, when suddenly Ruby’s Scroll beeped in alert of a received message, while Ruby pulled her Scroll out to check it, causing her team members to pause in their debate about the shortages to give their leader full attention.

 

 

> _Attention Fourth Years Team Leaders:  
>  Your last team assignment has been posted up in the communal Mission Hall.  
>  Whichever so assignment you choose, you will be under the constant scrutiny of a proctor: every choice, every order you give or follow, will be up for debate with your proctor.  
>  Note: You will also need to log your choice, and your reasons behind it, verbally in person with myself_ and _Professor Ozpin. You can see the rubric here.  
>  Whichever you so choose, your total mark will be going against your end of year, your final grade and therefore towards where you stand at graduation, choose wisely.  
>  And, before any of you ask, no you cannot change or choose your proctor as one is assigned to your team and/or mission.  
>  Good luck,  
>  Glynda Goodwitch._

  
“What’s it about, sis?” Yang asked, seeing Ruby had taken a while to answer.  
Ruby looked up and grinned.  
“The posts are up!” Ruby squealed.  
They suddenly changed course and ran to the assembly hall, where they knew the Mission Walls were.  
  
“Okay, so give me the rundown of the message you received.” Weiss was saying as they came into the hall.  
“Well, it was from Glynda. And we can choose the mission, but we need to verbally tell Glynda and Ozpin what it is, and our reason for our choice. There’s a rubric for it,” She waved her Scroll at them, so they could see it briefly. “We’ll have a proctor with us who will grade us on everything that we do.” Ruby started as they walked up towards the mission walls, seeing several other teams of their grade milling about as well. Ruby had issues with the rubric, especially the _verbal_ part. She hated talking to people. Glynda and Ozpin were the only ones that made her nervous and settled at the same time, and it was _weird_.  
Though Ruby did privately laugh at the fact that Glynda hadn’t been back long, and she was already being put to work.  
  
“The proctor is also assigned to the mission, so we can’t change it or them once we choose it.” Ruby voiced.  
“That sounds fair since these missions are probably based on those they could get to proctor them.” Blake said.  
  
Ruby nodded. “Alright! Let’s get a good one!” Ruby ordered, and the four girls launched themselves at one of the four walls.  
Ruby halted when she heard her Scroll alerted her to another received message.

 

 

>   
>  _Good luck.  
>  –OP_

  
Ruby stared. How on Remnant did he even know…? He was in class! At Signal! _How_!  
“Hey, sis!” Yang was yelling, causing her to look up. “Come look at this one!” She continued to yell happily.  
  
Ruby rushed over to Yang, seeing Blake and Weiss coming over too.  
“What’s up, sis?” Ruby asked.  
Yang pointed upwards. “Look.” She said.  
There was a priority mission. And there were several things wrong with it, as far as Ruby could see as to why it hadn’t been snatched up yet.  
One was that it was only labelled as _North_ of Vale. Which could mean _anywhere_ from Beacon up to the far ends of the frozen Solitas Continent.  
Two, it required eight persons, nine if you counted the proctor, which meant two teams.  
  
“North?” Blake asked, giving a little nervous tremor if it meant the higher social groups of Atlas specifically.  
Faunus weren’t exactly liked there. Weiss gave her an encouraging look, and a pat on the shoulder.  
“It’ll be okay if it is!” Weiss urged.  
Blake smiled at her in gratitude.  
“It could also mean they want the borders open, and the embargo lifted.” Yang said thoughtfully.  
That made Weiss flinch: if it was about the embargo lifting, there would definitely be a Schnee to talk to.  
Or yell at.  
…And hopefully her other teammates didn’t kill him. They were liable for that.  
  
Yang crossed her arms, looking at her sister with a conniving smile.  
“Know of four others?” Yang questioned.  
Ruby glared at her, hearing Nora’s voice from a mile away before she and her team even entered the hall.  
What the girl was screaming about this time, Ren could only probably know. If he even knew.  
“…Are you saying you want to take that one?” Ruby asked.  
She got three nods. “It might lift the embargo, the borders and put the Towers back up online.” Yang told her.  
Ruby sighed, then walked over to team JNPR.  
  
Jaune and Pyrrha noted her first.  
“Ruby!” Both said happily, happy to see her.  
She grinned at them. “Hey, guys!” She replied. “Have you picked your mission yet?” She asked.  
Pyrrha noted her tone.  
“We haven’t, we were on our way to do so.” Jaune told her.  
“…Would you mind teaming up with us?” Ruby asked, gesturing to her team behind her, who had gone back to ranting about the embargo, and if they should sneak into Atlas if the mission wasn’t aimed at taking the embargo down.  
  
This got Nora to quieten.  
“Oh?” Jaune asked questionably.  
“Yeah. Uh. There’s a mission for eight, well nine, if you count the proctor.” Ruby said nervously.  
Nora huffed as she crossed her arms.  
“Well, I do hope you thought of us first!” Pyrrha told her with a smile.  
Ruby grinned. “Naturally! But it’s kinda vague in its description.” Ruby warned.  
Jaune and Pyrrha eyed each other. “But you think it’s more important?” Jaune asked.  
Ruby nodded. “It might be for either the embargo, the border shut down or for the Tower to reopen.” She said.  
  
Ren cocked his head.  
“You don’t know?” He asked.  
Ruby shook her head. “You need to choose it based on its heading, before the full description of forwarded to the leader’s Scroll, then you need to make your argument based on why you choose it based on the rubric.” Ruby told them, beckoning them closer to the Mission wall her team was at.  
  
JNPR could see why RWBY had gone for the mission, especially since it was the only mission for the northern side of the world, the eight knew the shortages were getting worse, and nothing was bringing down the wall Atlas had put up with their communications and around their borders.  
Jaune eyed his team, who gave him nods of approval.  
“Sure, put our team up next to yours. It’s not like we haven’t worked with you before.” Jaune said happily.  
Ruby grinned and punched in both their team names.  
  
Immediately they were approved, and her Scroll dinged.  
She looked at her Scroll and saw the content warning for the file size.  
“…We might need to go to the library.” Ruby said.  
“But we have class!” Weiss protested.  
“Good thing we went to class first, we don’t have classes until we’re back. Apparently, all missions have a time limit to when we can present our cases, as well as mission duration.” Pyrrha noted.  
Ruby’s eyes went wide. “Then we definitely need to get to the library!” She yelled, before bursting into rose petals and picking them all up and rushing off.  
  
./.  
  
None of them could understand how Oscar was ever able to, _on the fly_ , get used to Ruby just randomly picking him up and hurling him around at _any_ of her speeds. She did it to them constantly, and they never got over their feelings of vertigo and sudden air sickness.  
None of them had ever hurled though, thankfully, since it was the fastest way to travel across campus when they woke up late.  
They commended Oscar’s will though.  
  
Opening the email told them of the mission’s overall bulk of what it was asking of them to do. And why it needed two teams. It was huge. It _needed_ eight of them.  
Because they weren’t just going to end the dust embargo, they were going to do that as well as reopen borders and communications between Atlas and Beacon.  
There was a high chance of forceful encounters, and not just by Grimm. They would meet resistance from the get-go: in just getting to Atlas was a barred door. No one flew there. No one got in, no one got out. They would need to figure out from day one of the mission, how they would get across continents, then _how_ to get past the blockade, and into the school.  
Hopefully all alive, and with enough points to pass graduation.  
But at least they had the why they chose the mission in the first place down pat – they were all running out of dust. Ruby’s horde could only go so far. Jaune, Pyrrha, Weiss and Blake had resorted to low dust use, and high weapon use since their weapons could function without the use of ammo and dust. Ruby, at a pinch, could start to use blanks to repel her weapon into higher use.  
  
“Yeah. So, we have another hour until Ozpin and Goodwitch are expecting us with our response.” Ruby called out over the table, noting the time.  
“They didn’t give this mission long.” Blake noted.  
Ruby shrugged. “Yeah. I guess its urgent enough, they want it started and finished yesterday.” She voiced.  
Which made sense.  
  
Yang patted Ruby’s shoulder as they walked towards the rebuilt tower.  
“You good?” She questioned. “Got all your responses at the ready?” She added.  
Ruby nodded. “I’ll be good!” She insisted.  
They all knew how much Ruby hated speaking to others, but they wouldn’t trade her leadership for another.  
  
The rebuilt Tower hadn’t changed much from the old one in the way of architecture, or placement.  
Not that they expected it, knowing Ozpin had a set way of doing things.  
“I wonder who our proctor will be.” Nora questioned as the elevator took them up.  
“I just hope its someone we can work with.” Ruby grumbled.  
“How about we just wait and see?” Pyrrha asked.  
Nora crossed her arms. “That’s no fun.” She pouted, making most of her friends chuckle, while Ren just sighed in defeat.  
  
Professor Ozpin’s office looked as much as it had before the Fall as Ruby could remember, maybe a glean here and there from the newer cogs that had needed to be replaced from being bent and rusted in the years they hadn’t been protected from the elements, but aside from that, it was the same.  
Coming into office both RWBY and JNPR were met by Ozpin, Glynda and Qrow.  
Ruby noted the neutral semi-smirk of Ozpin’s face that told her that somewhere along the line they had done something he had wanted them to do.  
“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby celebrated in seeing him.  
Qrow just groaned, suddenly feeling the extra weight on one arm. “Hey, kiddo,” Qrow told her.  
  
Ozpin was standing by the time Ruby removed herself from her uncle’s arm.  
“I would remind you, Miss Rose, that this is going towards your end of year grade.” Ozpin reminded gently.  
Ruby stalled and was suddenly back with her team, and with a semi-salute Oscar always had. “Sorry!” She cried. “Professional now!” She added.  
Glynda just had that smile which told her there was no harm done. “So, you were the teams that took on the Atlas run.” She surmised, knowing the time.  
They all noted the glare she gave Ozpin and his returning neutral expression.     
  
Ruby nodded. “Yes, Professor,” Ruby started.  
Glynda eyed her. “Well, then, let’s hear your reasoning.” She ordered.  
“We wanted to be able to do something about the shortage on the dust supply, and we know that we would need a mission in Atlas to do so, Yang saw that the only mission that could relay that was this one, when it said urgent and North.” Ruby replied.  
“I see,” Ozpin started, making her turn to him, as Glynda was marking something down on her tablet. “And you weren’t daunted by needing two teams, or the amount of work you found once you accepted?” He asked.  
Ruby blinked and cocked her head. “My team has worked with JNPR since we were first years, we know how to work together, we also share a common goal of the reversal of the Atlas border closure.” Ruby told him.  
They watched as Ozpin gave Glynda a look, as the man rounded back on his desk to sit down.  
  
“As a good of a response as we could expect from a day’s collaboration. And we do have on file these teams have worked together previously, in both Beacon and in their Fall missions.” Glynda told.  
Ruby eyed them for the wording used, and the standoffish demeanour the three Huntsmen before her now possessed. She looked at her two teams in confusion and noted they had seen the stark change to what they were used to seeing from them as well.  
“So!” Ozpin was saying, Ruby turned back to him, to give him her attention. “Do you have any opposition about beginning in two days’ time? Pending, of course, transportation?” Ozpin was asking.  
By now Ruby was frowning. “With classes suspended to the end of missions, we have nothing else to be doing, sir.” Ruby told him, wearily now of their behaviour.  
Glynda was looking at her watch discreetly, Ruby noted Ozpin’s expression, and knew from its type, to not question why when it was in use.  
“Do you have any questions pertaining to this mission?” Ozpin asked.  
  
Ruby nodded. “Yes, sir.” She started.  
Ozpin nodded. “You may ask them.” He told her.  
“Our proctor…?” Ruby questioned.  
Qrow unwillingly raised his hand. “You’re looking at him.” He said.  
Ruby looked at him, her frown increasing. “Okay… Does this mission have a time limit?” She questioned further.  
“It will take as long as it can to get at least one of the three objectives completed, but that is up to Qrow, here, to ascertain if you can gain access. It naturally needs to end a week before your graduation date.” Ozpin told her.  
“…Do we have a destination at Atlas where we can hold up while there?” Ruby continued to ask.  
“Again. Only if you can access the school, and assume they allow you _in_.” Ozpin told her.  
Ruby noted the tone he used, and she immediately didn’t like the reasons why he had chosen that type of tone. One of the massive red flags was because she didn’t know why he was wary. But it immediately put her on edge, and her fingers twitching towards Crescent Rose.  
  
“Okay, do we have a means to…?” Ruby was suddenly stilled when Glynda looked up.  
“Time.” She noted.  
They all watched as if the word had calmed the three, and they watched as Ozpin pressed some type of button on his desk. Ruby noted warily that it was a similar button to that of the Mistral buttons, and that Nora perked up in glee at seeing it.  
“Uh, what?” Ruby was the first to ask, looking from them to her teammates, several of which shrugged.  
  
Ozpin was standing again.  
“I apologise for that, Miss Rose.” Ozpin told her.  
Ruby blinked and her head sided in confusion. “What…?” She questioned.  
Ozpin came around his desk and lent his back against it, his cane was next to him. “What you may not be aware of is the council has suspected that I have given you and your teams special treatment, and leeway, previously.” Ozpin told her.  
Ruby blinked as her nose scrunched up. “I don’t believe that, sir…?” She said, as well as questioned.  
“They were listening in, to see if Ozpin would give you extra credit, or leniency.” Qrow added.  
“I wouldn’t take it in the first place.” Ruby grumbled.  
But it made sense of their offish composure and way of speech, especially if they were being watched under scrutiny. They would have all needed to act in a certain way.  
  
Ozpin smiled at her. “Naturally, Miss Rose. I would expect nothing less from you and your teams.” Ruby grinned at him. “Now, this is where you answer my questions.” Ozpin told her.  
Ruby nodded and stood to attention.  
“Do you, truthfully, have any other queries about your involvement, or what is expected of you during this mission?” He asked her.  
She held up one finger. “One question.” She started, and he urged her on. “Can I bring Oscar?” She requested.  
  
Their responses ranged from Qrow groaning and facepalming, to Glynda frowning in disapproval, to Ozpin’s neutral but open expression.  
“Can’t you let that boy choose what he wants to do with his life first? And make it clear he doesn’t need to follow you to the ends of the world and back again?” Glynda asked.  
At this, Ruby looked dumbfounded.  
“She means ask him and leave your womanly wiles out of it.” Yang snickered in amusement.  
Ruby scrunched her nose up. “This has nothing to do with my relationship!” She screeched, outraged.  
“Why do you ask for Oscar’s involvement?” Ozpin asked curiously.  
  
Ruby stopped glaring at her sister and turned back to him. “He might know the place better than we do.” She told him.  
Ozpin blinked at her, then looked at both Glynda, who scoffed but relented, then to Qrow for his approval on the matter.  
Qrow groaned. “I’ll take you down to Signal this afternoon to see if they’ll let him off.” He groaned.  
Ruby looked giddy.  
  
“Any other question, or things you are unclear of?” Ozpin asked her.  
She nodded. “Yeah, how are we getting to Atlas?” She asked.  
At his expression, she knew it was a bad idea to question.  
“Nope! I have no more questions!” She squeaked in alarm, crossing her arms over her chest quickly.  
“Good!” Ozpin told her. “You’ll hear from us when and where your departure will take place. I suggest you bundle up. Miss Schnee, here, might be of better assistance in that matter.” Ozpin relayed  
Ruby nodded, and with that, they were good to go.  
“I’ll message you, kiddo when we can go!” Qrow called.  
Ruby raised her arm and waved. “Thanks, uncle Qrow!” She said, then the elevator doors closed.  
  
“…I told you she’d ask to take him along.” Qrow said.  
Glynda grumbled and threw a lien card at him.  
Ozpin just shook his head at the two. “She put up a good excuse. Make sure to take the lien the council has put aside for their mission, as well as what I’ve given you.” Ozpin told him.  
“Isn’t that favouritism?” Qrow asked.  
“Not if they don’t know about it. What they put aside is less than significant for their tasks.” Ozpin told him.  
Qrow raised an eyebrow. “Naturally…” He muttered, making his way over to the elevator.  
It wasn’t favouritism if no one knew about it.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Oscar was in the hall next to several of his peers for lunch when his Scroll pinged to alert he had a message, if anyone, it would probably be Ruby, asking, or demanding, how he knew she would be getting her last year assignment earlier that morning. So, he ignored the banter around him, with a smirk on his face and picked the device up, only for it to vanish in a second at her response.

 

 

> _Guess what?_

Two simple words had him filled with dread laden panic at the possible cause for her meaning.

 

 

> _Please don’t tell me you forgot to turn the stove off at home.  
>  We need that place in case you have forgotten.  
>  –OP_

He could only apologise to Taiyang so many times before he rightfully kicked them out of his house.  
  
“Girl issues?” One boy, Cyan asked, from over the table.  
Oscar was mentally begging for her to reply. “How true. I just hope she hasn’t burned the place down because she just realised she might have left the stove on.” Oscar grumbled.  
Ash and Grey and eyed him curiously, while the boy next to him, Irvine, laughed.  
“That’s your only concern?” He asked.  
Oscar looked at him in confusion. “Is there something else I should fear that wouldn’t spark an entire forest burning down?” He asked.  
The three boys eyed each other as if their point had gone way over his head. They could figure the girl Oscar was talking to, didn’t go to Signal, so it meant a long distance relationship, since they never seen her, (though they heard of her plenty).  
  
They were puzzled when suddenly the boy shifted into awareness he hadn’t had a second ago before an explosion of a high-pitched feminine laughter suddenly ringing out, and a girl, who they recognised by _fame alone_ , was now draped around Oscar’s shoulders.  
“Surprise!” She yelled as she rushed into the hall.  
  
Their reactions at her sudden appearance were immediate: Irvine screeched in alarm, and launched away, tripping over the bench and keening into the concrete below but was buffeted back up his seat by a strong wind that saved him. Both Cyan and Ash had stood up in amazement and had pointed with silent screams at her sudden appearance.  
Grey was the only one that ducked under the table in fright.  
Oscar was staring at her in amazement before he seemed to wake himself up.  
“Ruby!” He called happily. “Why are you here!” He yelled happily, rushing up to hold her arms around him.  
  
“I did ask you to guess what!” She told him with a laugh, taking the empty seat next to him, nonplussed about the chaos she caused with Oscar’s peers.  
“I had feared you forgot the stove on. Which I told you not to go near. Because it likes blowing up in your face.” Oscar quipped.  
Ruby scoffed and folded her arms. “Maybe I shouldn’t tell you!” She said heatedly.  
Oscar just laughed. “Yeah. That would work if I didn’t already know you were going to tell me anyway. You wouldn’t have come all the way from Beacon in person when I have a Scroll now.” Oscar told her.  
Ruby grumbled, caught in her farce.  
  
“Um. I had a question for you, and you can totally say no, no strings.” Ruby was saying.  
Oscar immediately caught her tone of voice. Someone had most likely had told her to give him a choice about whatever her question was, pointedly, and she wasn’t quite sure how to ask outside of her usual way of asking for his choice in matters.  
Oscar cocked his head and gripped her hand a little tighter. “Sure. What is it?” He asked.  
He watched as she eyed the three boys staring at her in awe, and the other whose head was just visible from over the tabletop. “Uh. So, you _know_ how I got my last year’s mission, yeah? Today.” Ruby clarified, but not actually.  
Immediately Oscar knew what she was eluding to. “Sure. I wished you good luck _when you told me_ , so…?” Oscar prodded, trying to get the actual question.  
“…Wanna come to Atlas with me?” Ruby asked.  
  
Oscar didn’t need to look to his peers to know that her question was too fast paced for them to completely understand what her question actually was or what it fully entailed.  
Her mission made sense. The embargo was getting worse. But…  
Oscar held her eye contact. “Did you clear this with Ozpin?” He asked, knowing she would understand all of that loaded question.  
Ruby nodded. “Glynda wanted you to make a choice if you actually wanted to come. And we thought it best for me to ask in person because we’re not actually sure how long it’ll take.” Ruby told him.  
Oscar knew getting into Atlas was going to take some serious thought, and Ozpin wasn’t able to go with them and help them navigate entry. He could scold Glynda later.  
“I don’t mind going, it would actually probably help with one of my classes I have to catch up on, as long as your team doesn’t mind a _minor_.” Oscar told her.  
  
What Oscar meant was that with his later enrolment than the peers in his academy, was that he was the only one in the school who didn’t have a _Huntsmen_ weapon, not that his peers would judge Silvis, having been whacked to the ground in training one too many times to not call it a weapon.  
But he still needed that grade. And with the embargo, he wasn’t able to remake his weapon to the grade and standard his professors were looking for. With the ability to get into Atlas in the cards though, he would be able to remake Ventus Silvis into a _Huntsmen_ weapon, and clear that grade where he needed marks against the now needed transforming and foldability weapons nowadays apparently needed.  
It would also appease Ruby, who looked as if the entire question had made her nervous.  
  
Ruby’s eyes lit up with joy. “Really?!” She asked.  
Oscar couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, really.” He mimicked.  
Ruby squealed with joy and flung her arms around him. “Thank you!” She said.  
Oscar didn’t waste time returning the hug. “Naturally, now, why actually are you here since you could have told me this over the phone?” He questioned, drawing Ruby back.  
Ruby looked about ready to jump up and down in glee. “I need to convince at least one of your professors to let you go. Qrow is evaluating my efforts.” Ruby told him.  
Oscar understood. “Then I can’t help you. But, by all means, track down my weapons teacher, she’s the class I need the grade on, convince her why going to Atlas will get it me.” Oscar told her.  
Which was _totally_ telling her how.  
But his teacher didn’t need to know that.  
  
“Okay!” Ruby said happily, suddenly kissing his cheek, and bursting into flower petals and raced away.  
Oscar blinked when he heard a wolf call whistle that got his attention and made him turn back to his peers.  
“How does she know you?!” Cyan screeched.  
Oscar stared at them, puzzled. “…That was my girlfriend. Who, thankfully didn’t burn the house down.” He told them.  
“But that was Rose! Red Rose!” Ash was yelling.  
“How do you know her!?” Irvine interrupted.  
“She’s my girlfriend?” Oscar questioned, yet understanding perfectly.  
  
Cyan heaved over the desk in defeat. “Not the point…!” He whined.  
“Then you should say your point.” Oscar scolded.  
“How did _you_ land a _legendary Huntress_ as your _girlfriend_?” Grey asked.  
Oscar blinked. Well, wasn’t that a loaded question. “She’s the one burning our house down.” Oscar grumbled, then sat back to watch their respective reactions.  
“ _You live together?!_ ” Irvine was shouting.  
“Well, not now since she’s at Beacon,” Oscar said.  
  
They all stared at him incomprehensively, while Oscar grinned at them in self-victory for confusing them.  
“Well, if you guys aren’t going to eat, I will.” Oscar told them, reaching for an apple inwardly snickering at them all, their expressions were priceless.  
Oscar found their reactions to most every breadcrumb he laid out to be hilarious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar worms his way into going with Ruby to Atlas (as if that wasn't going to be a thing). He gets homework, but he can work with that. Ruby threatens to flip a table. No one gets how these two know each other. Qrow can never have enough alcohol to fix this. Ruby never got that "entering without a bang" down pat and now students' are paying for it in the most hilarious ways. Oscar low-key threatens to kill people. You'd think after all this time these two would have their shit together, (they don't). Qrow just wants to be a bird. Ozpin is also up to his old tricks (should I say old?) to magically get them into Atlas, via a very well paid Schnee airship pilot. Don't ask about the elephants. Snow is probably everyone's worst enemy. Also, if anyone was keeping track, Oscar is still a little shit, and will probably continue to be one throughout this series.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contradictory to actual Volume 6, these kiddies have coats, and I had a grand time picking them out because snow is cold and no thank you! Speaking of volume 6, this was written way before the trailer released, and I'm still concerned about Oscar, someone protect the farm boi from himself, please.  
> Also, if Best Boy Pilot has an actual name, whoops, because his name is an actual inside joke, cookies for anyone who gets it.  
> Cheers to "GoldenDragonFox" for their reviews that make me laugh, some have made me laugh in public spaces, or fall off my bed in laughter. Each and every comment you have made is valued and I hope you know this.
> 
> Since this was written before volume 6 was out in any way shape or form. I heard "Let's go to Atlas" at the end of volume 5, and I ran with it, then _it_ ran away from _me_ ! So spoilers for volume 6 are limited from chapter 9 onwards if you worried about them, as well as my rants about certain things that happen in them in notes. And because of this being written before volume 6 and because of previous events in this series I no longer need to worry about Salem or Ozpin for that matter.  
>  Anyone else worried about volume 6? I am. I think I'll stay here and write some more.

_Open up: Feel the waves cut through me. Hypnotized by the sounds I’m breathing in. Hold tight, hold tight, chemicals collide. Hold tight, hold tight. Hold tight. Dripping lights, paint the skies: All because of you, only you. Can make me move. So alive. Make it last forever. Stopping time. Yeah, I'm surrendering: All because of you._

_—[Culture Code](https://youtu.be/MRwmxS1AL6E)  
_

_Other Music:_

_[Joakim Lundell ft. Arrhult](https://youtu.be/k5Fwl3yu85M) — All I Need_  
_[Amanda Lee](https://youtu.be/iWtTSzULPWI)— Hey Kids!!!_

 

Chapter 2

  
Ruby avoided areas her father would most likely be in.  
She wasn’t alone in that fact, Qrow stuck to her side like glue, almost looking as he wished he had chosen to stay a bird for the venture, it was only the fact the other teachers needed to see him, and he explains his role could he not.  
But he wished he could.  
Ruby knew the grounds of Signal like the back of her hand, and she knew where to find the teacher Oscar was referring to.  
She got top marks for when she made Crescent Rose. She did hope she left a memorable mark on the teacher’s memory while she did it, elsewise this conversation could go south quickly.  
Not as if she didn’t have enough pressure already, with her uncle grading her every move.  
  
O’Brennan normally understood most things, especially when it came to weapons and their designs. Having one student not have an actual Huntsmen weapon this late in his schooling career went beyond her idea of _happy_.  
Though that wasn’t to say the child’s current weapon didn’t pack a punch, she didn’t like setting him up against opponents because he normally won.  
But, in this case, winning didn’t grant the child marks where his weapon fell short in the eyes of Huntsmen weaponry.  
If she didn’t need to worry about her grade failing him, she would let it slide, seeing as somehow, he was a special case in the eyes of…well, _everyone_.  
If that wasn’t weird enough, seeing Ruby Rose walk into her office was another.  
She could admit she stared. “Well, I never. The Famous Red Rose gracing her appearance back in my classroom!” She called.  
  
Ruby really did hate that name. Or that she was famous.  
…How did she get famous again?  
She was sure it started with the fact she graduated two years ahead of her senior.  
_Thanks, Ozpin_.  
“Hey, O’Brennan,” Ruby noted where her uncle was, his nod which to tell her he was still grading her, as if she had forgotten, then looked back to her. “Do you have a minute?” She asked curiously.  
O’Brennan was looking at her curiously. “That I do, what can I help you with?” She asked, coming to sit down, motioning the seat in front of her for Ruby.  
  
Ruby nodded gratefully and took the offer of the seat.  
“I’m sure you remember that around this time fourth years at Beacon are sent on their final missions, so I have something to ask you.” Ruby started.  
O’Brennan nodded fondly. “Yes…?” She prompted.  
Ruby wasn’t able to hide her twitch of unease.  
Stupid rules.  
Stupid _technicalities_.  
Only four more years.  
  
Ruby inwardly groaned. She hated talking to people.  
“See, my last mission as a student is to head for Atlas, and I was hoping you’d allow one student, Oscar Pine, to come with me.” Ruby asked.  
Screw formalities too. They sucked as well.  
  
O’Brennan stared at her before she keeled over and laughed loudly, bringing both Ruby and Qrow to look at each other in confusion.  
“How on Remnant do you know Pine?!” She laughed. “How could you know I only have one student who doesn’t have a Huntsmen weapon?” She continued to laugh.  
Ruby blinked in astonishment. “Um. I had a mission out in Anima, so it turns out I stayed at a farm for the clean out that the mission was. Oscar was living there, and I’ve kept in contact with him since.” Ruby told.  
She didn’t miss the scoff her uncle gave at her technical lie.  
Or the look of astonishment O’Brennan was giving her.  
  
Her look soon crossed into understanding. “Ah. So, we have our famous Red Rose to thank for the daily beatings Pine hands down to his classmates!” She crowed, happily to figure out how the boy had training but lacked proper weaponry.  
Ruby was blinking at her uncomfortably. “Yeah. So…that’s how I know Oscar would benefit from coming along with me, and that he would be able to take care of himself.” Ruby elaborated.  
O’Brennan was nodding along. “Understandable,” She levelled Ruby with a look. “You do realise I will need to ask Pine personally if I am to excuse his absence, as well as make adjustments in his timetable to allow his last assignment here at Signal to be shadowing Huntsmen?” O’Brennan asked.  
  
Ruby didn’t even blink. “I’ll look after him, ma’am, if that’s your concern.” Ruby promised.  
Ruby ignored the again scoff her uncle gave but noticed the look O’Brennan had given her, which was a look of shock at her tone of voice when it came to be being resolute truthfulness about her promise.  
“…Alright.” O’Brennan noted, then stood up, and walked around to the cabinet where the PA system was for her office, they watched curiously as the women went about picking up the speaker as the pleasant chime went off for the students to listen in. “Will Oscar Pine of fourth year please report to O’Brennan’s weapons office. Oscar Pine.” She called.  
  
Ruby noted her former teacher came back to sit down. She did wonder what Oscar’s reaction was to being called over the PA system.  
Normally students only got called if they had done something wrong, so she hoped his peers wouldn’t holler at him too much.  
  
./.  
  
There was a knock at O’Brennan’s door, by that time Ruby had stood up, knowing Oscar would need the chair to be addressed.  
Ruby went and stood by Qrow, who gave her a look. She judged from that look she had done well.  
“Enter!” O’Brennan called.  
The door opened, and Oscar entered. His eyes automatically sweeping the room for danger, from his teacher to Qrow, to his girlfriend and back to his teacher in a second flat, and outwardly showed curiousness of being called out of his class. He even had his books with him.  
“Ma’am?” He responded as he came into the room shutting the door with his foot.  
“Take a seat, Pine.” O’Brennan ordered.  
  
Ruby mentally snickered at the fact Oscar needed to follow orders from someone he could probably run rings around.  
Oscar had nodded, taking his seat while giving a glance over to Ruby and Qrow with his head sided in puzzlement.  
“Are you familiar with Miss Rose here?” O’Brennan asked.  
The question caught Oscar a little off guard, and he wasn’t exactly sure how much O’Brennan knew, but he nodded all the same.  
Seeing Oscar confirm he knew Ruby made O’Brennan light up. “So, here’s how things are going to go down…” O’Brennan started, before relaying the boy the deal.  
  
Oscar was allowed to go with Ruby, on certain grounds that he not leave Ruby’s sight at any given time (unknowingly to O’Brennan everyone else snickered at this), that he take this mission seriously, because there would be Grimm, and at the end of the day he needed to return with a Huntsmen weapon, with some leeway when Qrow put his two cents in about not being sure if they could get close to the place. (Which of course would be in writing to back Oscar up).  
If Oscar agreed, his current classes would be suspended, effective immediately, until he returned until which he would be given exams for him to pass for his graduation to not be affected, which then wouldn’t affect his attending the graduation ball afterwards, as well as attending Beacon, should he wish to take the entrance exam.  
Oscar, by now knew what was needed of him, and of his weapon, he wasn’t able to graduate, to _go forth_ , to eventually stand by Ruby’s side without it.  
  
When O’Brennan outlined the safety risk and seemed to wait for his reply.  
“So, uh… Do I have time to go get my stuff, or…?” Oscar questioned, in lieu of his answer while standing up.  
Oscar barely heard Ruby’s quiet squeal of joy as O’Brennan looked at her.  
“Well? When do you need to leave?” She questioned curiously.  
Ruby looked towards Qrow. “Kid has time to get his stuff, we do need to be back in Beacon as soon as possible.” Qrow told.  
Ruby, by now was already looking as if she was a step away from running up walls. “I can help Oscar get his stuff! Be faster!” She quipped.  
  
Before the adults could stop her, she burst into rose petals, and rushed over to Oscar, before rushing out of the room, with a kick to the door.  
O’Brennan stared. “You know when I said she needed to keep an eye on him… I didn’t quite mean _that_ close…” She uttered.  
Qrow just groaned.  
It was the _Fall of Beacon Closeness_ all over again.  
These children were going to be the death of him.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
As usual, Signal’s dorms were single-sex, bunk beds to fit up to six children per shared room.  
At least their bunk beds were safer than how RWBY made theirs.  
There were at least three other people yelling out in fright when Ruby burst into the room once Oscar told her which one he belonged to.  
Letting Oscar down, Ruby recognised the boys from before.  
“Yo!” She greeted.  
“Red Rose!” One yelled while pointing at her in shock.  
She swore she could have counted four before, and now only counted three. Spreading out her senses she understood one had hidden under one of the beds in fear.  
…She really did need to work on that.  
  
Ruby smiled at them pleasantly, and looked at Oscar curiously, he quickly rattled off their names as an introduction.  
“How long will Qrow give us?” Oscar asked, getting back on track, before aiming a kick to the boy under his bed. “Grey, get out from under my bed!” Oscar added.  
Grey quickly scrambled to get out from under the bed, nervously skittered away from Ruby, the other three seemed to be openly staring at Ruby as if they had never seen a female before.  
“Hey!” Oscar barked at them angrily, and they quickly fumbled to try and look away from her, all aside from Grey seemed to have trouble not glancing at her.  
Ruby looked at Oscar in confusion. “…Not long?” She asked in confusion of his actions.  
Oscar shrugged, glared at the other boys, one in particular, Cyan, grinned while Oscar fetched his bag.  
  
“Are you going somewhere, Oscar?” Irvine asked, seeing Oscar packing.  
Oscar nodded. “You should know by your semester guides that we have our last year assignments coming up. Mine is to shadow Ruby here.” Oscar summed up briefly.  
The boys gave out a vocalisation of their awe.  
“No fair, how come we don’t get to shadow pretty Hunts—?” Cyan was saying right up until he realised Oscar was glaring at him. Cyan quickly raised both hands in surrender. “Dude, transmitted.” He noted warily.  
Ruby looked at each in confusion. Transmitted? What? Was it boy code?  
Oscar narrowed his eyes at the other boys, who all quickly nodded. They got the message also. Clear as day: Red Rose _was off limits_. Got it.  
  
Ruby by now, had her head sided.  
“Um, Oscar?” She questioned in confusion.  
Oscar looked at her as he shouldered his bag. “Don’t worry, they understand,” He glared at them, and they all nodded mutely. “I’m good to go, do you know where Qrow will be?” He was asking.  
Ruby shrugged, she’d get it one day, then nodded. “At the school entrance. We need to get back to Beacon.” Ruby told him.  
Oscar nodded then looked back at the other boys. “Behave now.” He chided.  
Ruby laughed at their terrified faces before she exploded into rose petals and rushed at Oscar then rushed out of the room.  
  
./.  
  
Getting back to Beacon from there wasn’t hard, or long, all in all, it had taken near the rest of the day. Qrow had gotten the two onto the boat, then promptly vanished on them, not that they didn’t notice the crow on top of the boat, watching them. He still needed to grade Ruby. Ruby thought about asking about what exactly what happened in Oscar’s dorm but decided not to, seeing Qrow was in hearing range. So she settled for hugging Oscar, grateful she could have him with her for her mission up to Atlas, knowing that if he ever heard of her mirage about why she wanted him to come along, from the wrong person, might sound bad, no matter if it was the best argument she could think of that would let Ozpin and that let him come along.  
  
“Okay, so I’m going to say this before anyone else can tell you,” Ruby was saying, making Oscar look back to her from the boat’s railing to see Beacon coming into view. Ruby was sitting down with her back against the boat. “So, I had to make a really good excuse to be able to get you to come, and I knew just asking without it would mean you wouldn’t be able to come.” Ruby added, her hands fidgeting in front of her.  
Oscar had sided his head as he regarded her, everything from her eyes skirting away from looking at him, and her fidgeting told him she was nervous about his response.  
  
Oscar came up to her and sat beside her.  
“Why did you want me to come in the first place?” He asked, curious.  
Ruby looked at him. “I’m not as ignorant as I used to be to know how big the world is now, and I know how bad the Solitas Continent can be, thanks to Weiss. …If because of this mission I never came back…you’d never know…” Ruby stalled and looked to him. “I didn’t…couldn’t leave you alone.” She ended up saying.  
Oscar stared at her incomprehensively. “Would having the CCT towers up help with this?” Oscar asked, trying to find the root of her fear.  
Ruby shook her head. “I just…Solitas is too far away from Signal, and Beacon…” She said, looking away as if she disliked admitting it.  
  
Oscar blinked at her, then reached out with his hand to grasp her chin to make her look at him again. “Ruby, you can’t just bar yourself to Vale’s missions for the next four years, why are you worried like this? You spent a year traversing Anima and you were fine, you were not harmed. You know how to navigate the Mission Walls, so you don’t get a mission that’s over your head.” Oscar asked.  
Ruby gritted her teeth. “It’s different now.” She insisted.  
Oscar frowned. “How so?” He asked, in confusion.  
  
Ruby stared at him abhorrently. “I don’t want to go too far from you.” She muttered, getting out of his grip and turning her face away from him.  
Oscar stared at her in dismay, her admittance threw his entire being off whack, at how far she was willing to go: she was willing to stay in Vale for the next four years, not chasing her abilities in other countries, all because she didn’t want to leave him.  
How was he meant to reply to that?  
  
If he were to put himself in her shoes? Be the older one for a chance, and she was the one still in school? Ability be damned, he wouldn’t want to leave her, either.  
Oscar watched as she furiously wiped at one eye, knowing she was probably angry at herself for how she felt, since it was probably her first time feeling tied to someone else outside of family, as well as being angry at the emotion of staying went against her morals as a Huntress, which was to go where they were needed: to protect more than just one.  
Oscar did wonder how she felt with that, since she had to watch her own mother leaving her for others, and once never come back.  
It was probably where the root of her fear was. She didn’t want to leave her precious people behind.  
And Oscar understood that, more than she realised.  
It was a lifestyle they choose, and at the end of the day, they were at odds with it, in some way shape or form.  
He wouldn’t want to leave her behind, either.  
  
Oscar reached out and grasped her hand to softly get her attention.  
“I’m not mad at you, Ruby. And you shouldn’t be angry at yourself for this, either.” Oscar told her.  
Ruby turned to him, disbelief shinning her in silver eyes. “You’re…you’re not?” She questioned. “You’re not mad?” She added as if she needed the clarification.  
Oscar shook his head. “I’m not mad. I understand. I wouldn’t want to leave you alone, either.” Oscar told her.  
Ruby covered her mouth with both her hands, to try and stifle the vocal sounds of her dry sobbing.  
  
Oscar turned and looked to the setting sun.  
“I’m just hoping you understand that it is _four years_ , and four years is a long time.” Oscar told her, again.  
While he understood her, he wouldn’t be angry at her for leaving or breaking whatever promise she had for staying for four years, just to _wait_. He understood some missions were more than that and more than just him and her.  
Four years was a long time to wait, and things change in four years when people could change at a drop of a hat. And he wouldn’t hold it against her.  
Oscar heard her yelp, and before he could look at her, she flew at him and rushed to wrap her arms around his middle.  
  
“No…!” She yelped, hiding her face against him.  
Oscar blinked down at the sudden redhead he had essentially in his lap. “Ruby?” He questioned.  
“No!” She told him again, forcefully that made him lose the ability to think. “I understand! It’s a long time! But if I had to go back to that year I spent alone, without you, wandering the wiles of Remnant, it’s never a long enough time!” She was saying, admitting into him. “I don’t want to go back to that! Never without you!” She yelled.  
It was there he took her into his arms and held her strongly.  
  
After all, they had been through, he could definitely understand her. His mind took him back to when he technically first met her at his barn, to zoom into her grim-pained face she had, and how she viewed the world then, to how she spoke, to how she fled, to how she wasn’t the Ruby he knew. He held her tighter, never again did he want her to revert to that.  
No matter if it was a matter of if she was fit for missions outside of Vale if it made her reverting back to _that_ , a bare shadowed expression of how Ruby was meant to be, then so be it.  
Never again.  
  
“I can’t tell you to do what you don’t want to do, Ruby, if you want to stay within Vale and do missions there, then I can’t stop you, all I can do is understand, while not being mad. And I do, I understand, I promise you. All I hope is that you don’t run Vale dry and end up spending all your lien.” Oscar told her softly.  
At that remark, Ruby ended up giving out a wet chuckle.  
What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, since it was a similar thing to what he was referring to, was how she lived during that year in Anima.  
Yeah. He didn’t need to know that part.  
  
./.  
  
By the time they got back to Beacon, night was falling.  
Qrow noted that both children looked dead on their feet, and somewhere along the way Crescent Rose got transferred from its owner to Oscar to hold.  
And he wasn’t about to ask because he feared Ruby might have forgotten it and if he did ask, and that was the reason, he would need to mark her negatively.  
So, what he didn’t know or see wouldn’t kill him.  
Hopefully.  
  
Ruby and Oscar were suddenly more awake when Ruby got pile-drived by her sister in lieu of a greeting.  
“Sis!” Yang was yelling as she flew as if she hadn’t seen her younger sister in years.  
Oscar simply moved out the way, having noted which way Yang had come from and would have been in the way had he not.  
“Yang!” Ruby responded, hugging her sister.  
  
“Hello, Miss Yang.” Oscar greeted with amusement.  
Yang looked over Ruby’s head and nodded at him. “Hey, Oscar, deigned to come along, yeah?” She questioned.  
Oscar nodded and shrugged the shoulder Silvis was perched on. “I have homework to do, but yeah, I’m coming along.” He told her happily.  
He noted the softer glint in her eye when he said he was coming along that was ingratitude towards him for Ruby.  
  
Apart from the sisters, Oscar noted that all of the members of both team RWBY and JNPR were scattered around and that Qrow had wandered over to Ozpin and Glynda, and he found himself in a position where he didn’t quite know what was expected of him.  
Staying beside Ruby always seemed the better option.  
While he was curious about their mission, and his involvement, to how they planned to even get to Solitas, he would stay with Ruby: a place he always wanted to be.  
  
./.  
  
From the look on Ozpin’s face, they could all tell how they were getting into Solitas was going to be one huge right off, and the council would get the abridged version of “they got there safely”.  
There would be no mention of smuggling, or how they got into Atlas after that.  
Or the use of an Atlas Schnee personal pilot by the name of Livius Niall who, when handed a large number of lien cards from a hooded Huntsmen knew well enough to grin at his good fortune to shut up, drive, and not question the ten extra passengers holed up in his now empty Schnee cargo hold.  
  
The cargo hold of the plane wasn’t exactly large enough for the ten passengers, some like Weiss and Pyrrha had gone up to where Livius was driving for conversation, curious about the nature of Atlas during the embargo.  
Others had decided to catch up on sleep.  
Ruby nudged Oscar with her shoulder. “…So, do I wanna know how Ozpin knows about this operation Atlas has going on?” She asked curiously.  
Oscar stared at her. “No. No, you don’t. It involved a relic, and a gear, and himself in a previous incarnation, and you don’t want to know about the elephant.” Oscar told her, fervently she asks no more questions.  
Ruby raised an eyebrow, but seeing his pleading look, she decided to not push her luck in asking about the elephant.  
  
./.  
  
Turbulence woke the rest up sometime after midnight when Livius shouted at them through the commlink to wake up in case Grimm decided to also wake up.  
He was massively aware that with the many people he had, it could cause an awakening in the airborne Grimm around his ship, be they all Huntsmen or not, he was not willing to lose his job or his life for theirs.  
“What’s up?” Ruby was asking, coming on deck, with Oscar and Qrow behind her, trading places with Weiss and Pyrrha.  
“We’ll tell the others.” Weiss told her on her way out.  
Ruby nodded to her and looked back to Livius.  
  
Livius was changing controls over to try and combat the turbulence, and he gave her a look over.  
“I sure hope you brought extra clothes, missy.” Livius told her.  
“We have.” Ruby told him, frowning at Oscar when she felt his entire body twitch at the nickname Livius gave her.  
“I should warn you that I will need to drop you off sooner than I had planned, they’ve just changed my flight plan because of the storm, and if I deviate, I’m dead.” Livius warned her.  
Ruby was nodding already. “I wouldn’t want that, how soon are you dropping us?” Ruby asked, not able to see whether they were still over water or crossing land.  
“Soon. And I won’t be able to land.” Livius continued to warn. “I’ll open the hold, and you guys need to be gone by the time it closes.” Livius told her.  
Ruby got the idea, and the warning crystal clear, and filed out just as quickly.  
  
By the time she got back into the hold, she felt Oscar bare off from her to fetch his green coloured hooded trench coat from his bag, Ruby noticed more than half her team were already suited up, Yang, Nora, Weiss, Jaune and Ren had it easier, since they already wore winter-bearing clothes, or just needed to button/zip already wearing coats up, the others like Blake, Pyrrha, Oscar and herself needed to unpack them.  
  
Blake’s black body-length woollen coat had been picked out with precision from Weiss that would help cover her atop ears to shield them from the cold (and Atlas scrutiny). Since the Salem fight, the ex-heiress had demanded her friend not hide them with her usual hair bow. She reiterated the point again, at the time when they were rebuying all of Weiss’ clothes to minus the Schnee logo targeted on her back, alongside Blake’s coat shopping.  
  
Pyrrha had shrugged when she had been told about needing a winter coat, and tackled the nearest taupe coloured shearling coat that had fur, preening when Jaune had muddled up his words at her when she had tried it on, buying it, alongside a thermal long-sleeved black undershirt, only because it made Jaune a jumbling mess of words and emotions that Nora laughed at.  
  
Ruby, didn’t have much time to coat shop between the time she had left from travel time to and from Signal had snagged a red waist-length pea coat that fit just above all her belts for Crescent Rose and her ammo, and underneath her blood-red cloak which she asked Yang to previous alter to be able to have fur attached to the hood, since she had seen Oscar’s horror at the thought of being asked, she hadn’t asked him, and she could remember the patchwork on his old pants. He was probably just as bad as her, but he was still probably allowed the sewing needle when Yang and her father had seen fit to never see her grace one again.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
It was in the early hours of the morning when the warning alarm for the hold opening finally sounded off made the children grasp for their bags, if they had set them aside, as well as any lose weapons, Ruby bore the door to see the ship was still being buffered by a storm, but as far as she could tell they were over land that she could guess belonged to Solitas.  
“ _Best jump now! Atlas is up ahead!_ ” Livius warned over the PA.  
As soon as the ramp was down, they were jumping out the plane, noting there wasn’t much to break their falls, Ruby gathered up everyone and Oscar stalled their fall time long enough for Ruby to regain how fast they were falling until they hit the snow-covered ground.  
  
./.  
  
“Damn it’s cold!” Nora was yelling over the wind.  
“And you expected, _what_ , exactly?” Blake was asking.  
Nora just glared as Blake pulled her hood up to warm her ears up.  
The others were clawing their way out of the snow they had suddenly found themselves in, while Ruby was rushing back upwards at a higher speed to fight against the wind to try and see where Atlas was, and how far away they were from it.  
She saw tall darkened structures jutting out in front of them, and they looked vaguely like how Weiss had previously explained how Atlas looked, seeing them, she rushed back down to her team.  
  
“I’ve seen what looks like Atlas, won’t know until we get closer,” She started, and looking around at her peers, those who had hoods were pulling them up, others who didn’t pulling out mufflers to shield their ears from the cold. “Are you guys alright to keep moving? This storm doesn’t seem to want to clear up.” Ruby advised.  
Sticking around in one place didn’t seem like the best idea, and they all agreed that the cold sucked.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Trudging through the snow was even worse since most of their shoes weren’t designed for harsh snow weather, some found themselves cold, or even with soaks soaked. But, at least the structures Ruby had spied, were actually the towers of Atlas, but what she hadn’t seen was the erected closed walls around it.  
Ruby looked to Qrow, who for the life of her, hadn’t brought a coat, and didn’t seem any the worse for wear. “It wouldn’t be a good idea to knock, I’m guessing?” She asked.  
Qrow was shaking his head. “We need to go directly to Ironwood,” Qrow told her, then looked at Oscar. “Know of a way in, kiddo?” He asked curiously. “One that hopefully, doesn’t amount to climbing over the most probable guarded walls in this weather.” He added.  
Oscar looked at him and grinned mischievously. “No, but we can go under them.” He said wickedly.  
That was news to all of them, Weiss included.  
  
By the time they got to the tree line directly outwards from the city walls that Oscar led them to the storm hadn’t lessened, and the snow had gotten worse in the air.  
Ruby had stalled Oscar from stepping out of the tree line when she noticed there was movement on top of the wall.  
“Stay here, I’ll check it out.” Ruby told them all.  
They all nodded and made sure to stay hidden, while Oscar grasped her arm, making her look to him.  
“Be careful.” He warned.  
Ruby gave him a fond smile and nod that let he let her go at, and no sooner was she off in the wind, her rose petals the most unlikely to get noticed.  
  
It took longer than anyone would have liked for Ruby to get back, everyone noting her reappearance firstly by the way Oscar stiffened before she appeared at his side.  
“They have Huntsmen patrolling the entire wall all the way around the city!” Ruby burst out, her breath fogging her face.  
Qrow and Oscar weren’t alone in swearing.  
Ruby was siding her head. “Oscar…?” She started, and Oscar immediately looked at her. “Is the place you’re taking us to nearby?” She asked.  
  
Oscar nodded. “The only problem is that we need to be at the wall.” He admitted, pointing outwards.  
They all noticed Ruby’s thinking expression, then she looked over to Jaune. “Mind if I take this one if you don’t have any ideas?” She asked.  
Jaune, who was staring at her, wide-eyed, quickly shook his head. “I’d prefer to get indoors quicker!” He remarked.  
  
Ruby looked at her uncle. “And I’m assuming I can’t ask for your involvement?” She asked.  
Qrow shook his head. “Pretend I’m not here for this part.” He told her.  
Ruby nodded, having predicted that, but asked nonetheless, then turned to Weiss. “How many smaller Nevermores’ can you reproduce?” She continued to ask.  
By now Weiss had caught on to her partner. “More than enough.” She said while grinning evilly.  
  
Ruby’s plan basically boiled down to creating enough havoc on the other side of the city to create a diversion. In her initial fly over she saw how she could do so, so it was put up to Weiss’ Nevermores’ to draw the men as far away as she could, Pyrrha to move the metal dishes holding the lights off centre so they wouldn’t cast light down on them. Her saying _Golden Stars_ pretty much had the two girls understanding they were up to create havoc that had Nora pouting that she wasn’t involved.  
As soon as the men were following after Weiss’ summons in a panic, the fires moved, they all rushed over to the wall.  
  
Oscar knew by Ruby’s look they didn’t have long, and he turned to a still pouty Nora.  
“Miss Nora?” He called. She immediately looked to him, hope shining in her eyes. “You’ll…hopefully, find an electronical current running through the stonework…” Oscar started awkwardly, knowing it wasn’t the command she was asking for (which was for her to bring the wall down).  
Nora sided her head and stalled for a second with her back leaning against the wall, her eyes flew open and nodded. “It’s going that way!” She said pointing downwards.  
Oscar nodded. “Keep your hand on the wall and tell me when the current stops.” He asked her.  
Nora nodded and took lead, Ren quickly following her.  
“I’ll see how far away they are,” Ruby told and burst into flower petals that rushed up the wall, battling just to keep herself where she wanted to be in the winter wind, there would have been no way she could have taken anyone with her.  
  
Nora by now was running with one hand on the wall, the other clasped with Ren’s, to keep him with her, and for the others to tell where they were in their single file lane.  
Nora suddenly stopped. “It just…ends?” She questioned, her peers crowding around.  
Oscar nodded, and stalled to look up as Ruby reappeared. “They’re coming!” She urged.  
There was nothing that set that piece of wall apart from leagues of wall.  
  
They watched in amazement that Oscar kicked a stone near the ground.  
“Going down!” He cajoled happily.  
They blinked in confusion before, suddenly, the ground beneath them opened up, and they had a split second before they fell, several clasping hands over mouths to stop screaming in panic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you Oscar was a little shit.
> 
> But you know, reviews are nice? So, keep that up? Please?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They find themselves lost looking for Ironwood in the Academy. They almost get caught. Oscar is a little shit to everyone he meets. And confusion follows in his wake. Plans for the future are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. If this week's episode doesn't spell it out, or the inclusion of Pyrrha, this entire series doesn't completely follow the end of season 3 onwards. Yay for not being right about the moon? But right about Ozpin? I don't know if I should be celebrating that rofl.
> 
> Anyways, this chapter and everything going forward that deals with Atlas, is basically my amounted bullshit for dealing with a capital that deals with winter conditions and snow. If you're not familiar, I live in Australia, and where I live we don't get snow, and I have no recollection of dealing with such. So I apologise for any inconsistencies with those who live in climates with snow!
> 
> ...So are we not gonna talk about how seven people + one magical Grimm attracting extremely loud mouthing lamp are gonna walk all the way to Argus? If this walk takes up the entire season I'm flipping a table.  
> Also, someone give Oscar a hug. A maybe a pat on the head for being helpful. Someone be his friend, please. He did nothing wrong. (Technically no one did?)

_Water and light: This is us. History falling down: Hope rising up. We’re the here and now, all that came before. Cannot stay asleep: We’re not children anymore! We can fight the dark: This is who we are. There’s a new light coming. Finally, had enough: Finally waking up, to who we are becoming. Open your eyes! Will you be my love? Will you go with me? Are you who I dreamed? Or just a memory? Will you understand what I have to do? Will you be the man, the one I thought I knew? Into the deep blue: We’ll do this together. Water and fire reach higher. There’s no turning back.  
—_ [Bea Miller](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYX7lMXUNgA)

_Other Music:  
_ _[Ed Sheeran](https://youtu.be/7Qp5vcuMIlk)— Castle on The Hill_ _  
_ _[One Ok Rock](https://youtu.be/nU307tV32B0)_ _—_ _We Are_ __  
  


Chapter 3

  
The fall was shorter then what it felt like, and the crash into pitch black hurt just as well.   
They were scrambling to find their feet, and their respective partners when they swore they could hear Oscar laughter reverberating all around them from wherever he landed, and Qrow's angry squawks as the man had probably changed into his bird form when he felt the earth move from under him.   
  
“Your face was hilarious!” Oscar was saying as he laughed at the crow.   
From the darkness, they heard the angrier bird squawking.   
By now Oscar was chuckling. “Oh, hush, you’re fine.” He retorted.   
“Hey. As much as this is fun and all. But unless I skipped lessons without knowing I did, I can’t see in the dark!” Yang yelled, she nearly screamed when a hand grasped her shoulder.   
“It’s okay! It’s just me!” Blake yelled over her scream.   
“Don’t do that!” Yang hissed back but racing up to hold her hand all the same.  
  
“Oscar!” Ruby suddenly yelled.   
“There you are!” Oscar yelled back, using her voice to find her.   
“Are we sure we should be yelling!?” Weiss yelled.   
“Nah, it’s fine, no one could hear you anyway.” Oscar told her.   
“Please don’t tell me this is like an ancient doom pit or something!” Jaune was saying, then yelped in fright when Pyrrha found him.   
“No one died here, right?” Pyrrha was asking, over Nora’s grumbling and Ren’s sigh.  
Oscar laughed. “Nothing like that! Just a way in when the front door is sealed, like now.” Oscar told them.   
Qrow suddenly humanly groaned, and Weiss yelped. “Found you, Ice Princess.” Qrow was saying painfully.   
“By that you mean you crushed my foot!” Weiss retorted painfully.   
  
“Oscar…?” Ruby called.   
“Right.” Oscar cleared his throat. “I need you guys to take steps forward, and who doesn’t smack their heads into walls, give a shout out.” He ordered.   
By the end of it all, Jaune and Pyrrha were able to find the exit, and they ended up following it single file the way it led out and under the wall.   
“Where will this put us?” Ruby was asking.   
“In an alleyway near the academy.” Oscar replied.   
“Alright…But won’t someone see us?” Jaune pitched in.   
Being seen coming out of the ground would cause a lot of questions to be asked they didn’t want to answer, and for two of their party to come under scrutiny none of them wanted.   
They found the tunnel slightly warmer than outside in the bitter wind, which was the only plus going for it.   
  
“Just…how long as this been here?” Blake asked.   
“Long enough that no one knows about it, and it’s not on any building plan.” Oscar told her.   
“How do you know no one knows of it?” Ren asked curiously.   
“It would be more populated.” Oscar replied.   
There was a murmur of understanding throughout the group, and they became quiet again.   
  
There was finally a shine of light from the roof of the tunnel, that came in the form of a circular disc that reminded them a lot of a vent in most roads that were nondescript and easily looked over.   
“It…would probably be best if we wait for nightfall to leave…” Jaune put forth.   
Qrow grunted his assessment at that.   
Weiss pulled out her Scroll that was on silent to look at her secondary clock that told her Atlas’ time. “It’s nearing dusk hour.” Weiss muttered.  
  
Dusk hour in Atlas was just that: an hour where the sun was there one minute, then came sudden darkness of night the next minute. Because of Atlas’ geographical location Atlas had more night time then day in its winter months because of this. At this realisation, the rest understood that while they were in Solitas, it would be mostly under the cover of darkness and understood why Ozpin had chosen now to send them.   
  
/

* * *

/  
  
It didn’t take long for the little circular light to dim, then fade out completely as the sun was replaced by the moon.   
“Miss Nikos, if you could,” Oscar said, making them all jump.   
“Right…” Pyrrha responded nervously, understanding the vent was obviously metal since he asked her, and that he wanted her to move it.   
“I’ll go out to see if anyone is there.” Ruby said.   
They collectively held their breath as Pyrrha slowly slid the vent up and over, as she did snow fell into the tunnel serenely, when they heard no reaction, Ruby moved and vanished up the hole, then quickly reappear.   
“Quick! Quick!” She hissed and vanished again.  
  
They managed to get the vent closed just as a pair came wandering down the alleyway, and as they went by the two didn’t notice the ten pair of eyes watching them from various shadows, behind dumpsters, or from the rooftops.    
“We should probably stay out of sight until we find Ironwood…” Ruby muttered.   
“We do stick out like a sore thumb at this rate.” Oscar commented.   
The only negative about being in such a group was how many of them there were.   
Ruby nodded and gathered him up on her back and raced down to the ground to meet up with their peers.   
  
It was decided that they’d stick in pairs, stick to the shadows, stay away from people while sneaking into various entry points and rooms at Atlas in an attempt to find Ironwood and no one else.  
By chance, Ruby was the one who headlong ran into the man, quite literally, was thrown out of her semblance and crashed to the floor on her butt.   
  
“Miss Rose?!” Ironwood’s shocked reply was loud once he straightened himself   
Ruby blinked in confusion, then looked up. “Found you!” She said brightly, racing up to stand.   
“How did you even…?” He was asking.  
“No time! Hey, can I talk to you?” Ruby was asking. “But kinda not here?” She added.   
Ironwood was already blinking at her in confusion but gathered the Huntress was in his school for a reason.   
“…This way.” He told her, gesturing towards his office.   
“Great!” She said gratefully.   
  
./.  
  
Oscar mentally growled to himself when he realised that the place had changed from the memory he was relying on, and at a turn he took, and Ruby didn’t, he was suddenly wandering down an unfamiliar silver walled, blue-carpeted corridor, _alone_.  
He quickly turned around himself trying to figure out where his memory failed and ended up going back to where the junction was and still having no clue where Ruby could have gone.   
Oscar sighed and looked up, maybe the venting system hadn’t.   
  
Might as well find Ironwood’s office that way since every other way turned a dead end.   
He wondered how the others were faring.   
Though he really hoped he wouldn’t get stuck because that would suck. Oscar just mentally groaned, shrugged, then disappeared up into the venting system, closing the vent grate behind him.   
He also hoped he wouldn’t get dirty either. Because that sucked too.  
  
Oscar also really now understood the reason why Huntsmen now had weapons that folded, because he was dragging Silvis and nearly tripping on it every so often as he crawled, going around bends was _fun_.   
Silvis definitely needed to become smaller than its length. He didn’t look forward to doing this again.   
Screw this section, _entirely_. And whoever thought it was an awesome idea to add in drops into untold darkness in cramped spaces.  
The things he did for Ruby, sometimes.   
  
Speaking of which, he suddenly stalled hearing her voice, happy as can be, and not sounding lost, or trying to be quiet.   
Scooting over to the outward venting panel he could see Ruby, or, what he could _gather_ was her, since all he could see was a heck of a lot of red.   
Whelp, if it wasn’t her, someone was about to get a huge surprise when he busted out of the air vent.  
  
./.  
  
Ruby may have let herself get carried away.   
A little.   
Okay, a lot.   
But she _did_ find Ironwood.   
…Even if she did lose Oscar.   
She figured she’d get an earful from the boy later, but she couldn’t exactly tell the man to wait a second while she went and found him, and the rest.   
Who knew where he could run off to while she was gone?  
  
“How are you here, Miss Rose?” Ironwood asked as he closed the door behind her.   
Ruby cocked her head. “Oh! Right. Mission! I’m on a mission! There’s a mission.” She told him, in a ramble while internally cringing at her babble.   
Ironwood eyed her. “I was referring to how you got _inside_ Atlas, Miss Rose.” Ironwood remarked.   
“Oh. Right. _That_. Well…” Ruby started, then stalled when a crash came from behind her, turning around she saw the vent panel crashing onto the floor, and Oscar then tumbling out of the roof.   
“Found you!” Oscar said, pointing at her, happy as could be as if he hadn’t just fallen from the sky, or out of a tumble.  
  
“Oscar!” Ruby called happily, grateful he wasn’t lost for too long.   
Ruby didn’t see the horrified and incredulous look dawning on Ironwood’s face.   
Oscar just groaned and dusted himself off. “Could you remember to look around you, and maybe stop when you realise you’re suddenly alone, Ruby?” He asked instead.   
“Sorry! But I found Ironwood!” Ruby persisted, pointing to a stunned silent Ironwood. Oscar gave a bare glance at the man and then nodded at Ruby. “Stay here! I’ll go get the others!” She asked.   
Oscar nodded. “Just be careful, my memory of this place is different.” He warned her.   
Ruby nodded and took off out the door.   
  
At her vanishing, Oscar gave the man his full attention.   
“James!” He greeted.   
Ironwood stared at him, horrified.   
“Ozpin?” Ironwood asked, a varying of emotions floating through his voice.   
Oscar grinned. “Not quite.” He told him.   
Ironwood stared at him in puzzlement.   
Because what the heck did that mean?!  
  
./.  
  
Suddenly the room exploded into red rose petals, that stunned Ironwood a little, then a lot when he suddenly had ten people in his office at once.   
“How in the…?” Ironwood burst out incredulously that made Oscar snicker a little at but then stall.   
“Hold on. I know you hold two seats, but is the Atlas council still active?” Oscar burst forth.   
Ironwood stared, but nodded, then wondered in puzzlement when several of them swore.   
  
He watched as Nora sidled up to Oscar. “This room have those buttons? Like the ones in Mistral and Beacon?” She asked in a whisper.   
Oscar blinked at her, then nodded.  
  
Oscar ignored the joy radiating off Nora as he went over to the desk, pawed the underside of it, then a click resounded out through the office.   
“What…?” Ironwood was asking.   
Oscar cocked his head for a second, then twirled around and grinned.   
“And now we can tell you why we’re here!” Oscar crowed happily, gaining huge amounts of satisfaction from Ironwood’s confusion.  
  
“So, while you’ve been holed up in your metal tower, the outside world has been busy.” Qrow took point.   
Ironwood turned to Qrow with a frown. “How busy?” He asked.   
“Oh, not that busy, just that Salem is dead, but hey.” Oscar muttered in scorn.   
Ironwood stared at him.    
“Not everyone is going to believe you when you say that.” Qrow told him.   
Oscar glared at him. “It’s why we’re here, and you know it.” He hissed in annoyance.   
Nora, by now had crossed her arms. “Not true, _I_ came here to bust a wall down.” She said truthfully.   
“Nora.” Ren sighed at her, and she just put up her hands noncommittally.  
  
Ruby stepped forward. “But it did happen. That and what happened at Mistral. There’s not much proof but our say, but we did come here to prove it.” She said.   
“How so, Miss Rose? Since while I may take your word, others won’t.” He questioned.   
“We just need you to open up your CCT tower.” Ruby told him.   
Ironwood immediately shook his head. “That I can’t do without the council’s permission, and I’ve already tried asking them to put it back online.” Ironwood told them.   
  
Oscar immediately started swearing in that language only he seemed to know and looked as frustrated as the kid could get.   
Ruby eyed him in concern. “Oscar?” She voiced, knowing the boy normally started pacing when he got this keyed up, and knowing how little space they had, didn’t exactly want to chase the boy down should he bolt out the door.   
She had thought Mistral was a maze, Atlas was worse.   
And cold. Much colder then what she was used to from Patch, or her stay during the winter months wandering Anima.   
Ruby found she didn’t care much for the cold.  
  
Ironwood was eyeing the boy as well but looked back to Qrow.   
“You are welcome to stage sabotage against the council, but I cannot be involved or be knowledgeable of it. If you have planned more than the reopening of the CCT tower, I assume it’s because Beacon’s is rebuilt and working, whatever those other plans are, leave me out of them, and plan them to happen either at the same time as you storm the tower or afterwards.” Ironwood told them.   
“How do you know we have more than one objective?” Yang asked curiously.   
Ironwood looked at her, with an eyebrow raised. “Then there would only be a few of you, and not ten under the guise of an end of year mission, Miss Xiao Long.” Ironwood scolded.   
All of team RWBY shrugged at that.  
  
“…So…Where are we staying?” Nora asked awkwardly after a bout of awkward silence.   
They all looked to Ironwood, who looked thoughtful, then threw a key at Qrow, who caught it and looked at it in confusion, before tossing it towards Oscar.   
The boy caught it, glaring at Qrow, before looking at the key in detail, then groaned.   
“…I guess!” He burst out in annoyance, almost looking as if he wanted to throw his hands up in exasperation.   
Ruby almost giggled at him, was she not still worried about his state of mind.   
“Know where it is? Good.” Qrow said, already so done with all of them.   
“Seriously. What did Ozpin to do you in his past life?” Oscar was muttering. “I’ll throw my staff at him.” He grumbled before thumping his fist down on the desk. “I’m out.” He said, then stormed out.   
“Oscar!” Ruby yelled, already running after him.   
“This is becoming a trend.” Jaune muttered before they headed out, so they didn’t get lost.   
  
“The kid…?” Ironwood asked.   
Qrow just groaned. “I’m just floating, I swear. He knows too much. Your audio should be working now.” Qrow said as if eternally suffering, before making his way out with the two teams, leaving behind a perplexed and confused Ironwood.   
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Ruby could count on one hand the times that Oscar had paced.   
Most times she could understand, but this time, she was just as in the dark as her peers, who were looking at her in the same confusion as she felt as she watched the boy find a hallway junction not too far away from Ironwood’s office. It was thankfully at a time that there weren’t any students around that they could run into them at the hour they should all be in bed to witness the boy rounding on himself every several paces hissing to himself in frustration, arching Ventus Silvis menacingly at his side every so often.  
  
If she wasn’t more worried about Oscar, she’d have a prayer sent up for the track he’d run into the blue carpet, or the likelihood he’d smash out the floor-to-ceiling window that cast his face with snow from the moonlights shadow.   
“…Oscar?” She voiced, her hands posed up to take him, but yet still so unsure if he would permit her in his space.   
She watched as he looked to her, and his entire demeanour changed to softer, and fewer edges and sharpness she wasn’t used to seeing in him.   
“I’m sorry, I’m alright.” He told her, shrugging Silvis back up onto his back, standing in the softer light of the window casting shadows.   
Ruby cocked her head. “…It’s…It’s alright if you’re not.” She told.   
Oscar stared at her, then chuckled. “True. And I’m frustrated, sure, but it’s not something I can talk about here.” He told her.   
  
Ruby was expecting that. She could gather it was about the council, or about their situation as a whole.   
She settled on nodding. “Alright,” She said gently. “Can we talk about it when we get to wherever we’re staying?” She asked.   
Oscar nodded. “I’ll need to tell the others as well…” He muttered.   
She had expected that too, and nodded, before coming in closer and taking his hand in hers. “But are you okay?” Ruby asked.   
Oscar nodded at her, before leaning up to nuzzle his nose against hers. “I’m personally fine.” He told her truthfully.   
Ruby blinked at him, taking in his fond expression that had returned, and felt herself relaxing. “Alright.” She replied.  
  
Qrow cleared his throat, and they jumped apart.   
“While this is cute and all, but some of us need to sleep sometime today.” He groaned.   
Oscar blinked. “Right. This way. Hopefully.” He ended up trailing off uncertainly.  
  
Outside of the Atlas Academy, where walls seemed to have multiplied in the building in the past decade, the outside had not, and he was able to navigate the academy grounds.   
He even took the longer route, so he didn’t need to go near the Schnee compound.   
  
All buildings in Atlas looked the same: temple-ridged design, more white than black in colour, full-length windows that were covered in sheer blue curtains and filled with lamp fires and candlelight that was dull in light-giving. Sometimes the interior walls were a lighter blue or grey, but mostly white and void of any warmth or personal touch.   
Something about Atlas always left Oscar cold. And it wasn’t the temperature.   
Nothing about Atlas felt like home. Out of the four kingdoms, Oscar hated Atlas the most.   
  
If anything, he would probably get in trouble for kicking the door down, but that didn’t mean he didn’t slam it shut once he made sure the other nine were inside.   
“Alright. There should be enough bedrooms for us all, if there’s not, I dib Qrow to take the couch.” Oscar said.   
Ruby snorted in amusement and Qrow swore at him.   
Oscar looked to Ruby and waved noncommittally towards the stairs. “Have at it. I’m going to find the kettle.” He grumbled and took off towards where he hoped the kitchen would logically be for an Atlas house.  
  
Teams RWBY and JNPR, seeing his wave off, realised the bedrooms were located on the upper level.   
“DIBS!” Ruby was yelling louder than Nora and was always going to be faster as she raced up the staircase.   
“NO FAIR!” Nora was yelling back at her.   
“I need you guys back down here once you have found a bed!” Oscar was yelling, seeing them all race to the stairs.   
  
Oscar needed to find the kettle, he trusted Ruby to call dibs on a room that suited them both.   
Qrow, seeing the stampede, just outwardly groaned and collapsed on the pale blue couch in the main area, laying an arm across his eyes to ward off the soft light from the windows on the main outward walls. Seeing him collapse, Oscar set off to hunt for the kitchen, and the kettle hopefully inside it.   
Heads would roll if someone had taken off with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DIBS ON THE BIGGEST BED THERE IS!
> 
> Yay for reviews? They're nice, so send more? Please? Yay?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby calls dibs on a room. Atlas history, sort of, go! Qrow has a startling realisation about dealing with the dust embargo and it rhymes with Schnee and ends with Winter. Ruby rambles and Oscar listens. Ruby draws the short straw about patrolling. The Schnee Mansion is avoided like the plague. Ventus Silvis gets a face-lift. Of the Huntsmen variety. Oscar continues to be a little shit if anyone doubted he'd magically stop. Also, Penny piledrives Ruby. Then disobeys orders and asks awkward questions.

_You’re so beautiful tonight, that I’m spellbound in delight. When the hourglass stops today, come on and take my breath away. Did you always shine so bright? Never lost your will to fight. Through it all, you still declare: “We were born so that we’d shine forever!” Waiting for the light I don’t hear a thing tonight. You have taught me to be brave: To be glowing, not afraid and your words are my lifeline: “Even if we have been hurt we still shine!” You’re amazing, did you know? We are at a loss for words: Even if your strength declines. When you’re having a hard time, we believe in you. Oh, I’m just dreaming of the day: when the doubts turn into praise and the past becomes a crowd filled with thunderous applause.  
—_ _Wataru Hatano ([English Ver](https://youtu.be/eUwAaXPB_A4))_

 _Other Music:  
_ _[Christina Aguilera](https://youtu.be/2PP3r_EBA7Q) _ _—_ _Castle Walls (Solo Ver)_ _  
_ _[Ólafur Arnalds](https://youtu.be/0BdfH0CAKK4) _ _—_ _Happiness Does Not Wait_ _  
  
_

_/_

* * *

_/_

_**A/N:** _ So...This chapter is late, my bad, but I plead that the episode we just had made me all kinds of depressed and sad, and I maybe actually cried and No. Thanks.  
I wasn't about to upload or write anything when my mood was like that because I was worried it would affect this story because this story isn't meant to be _that_ depressing. But, I was able to write another section of this story and give Oscar all the hugs he deserves.  
But I am really glad that I don't need to worry about Salem as Volume 6 does. Because No. _THANKS_!  
  
Anyways, have this, and I hope I can write fighting scenes because for some reason I've picked RWBY to write for, and notoriously hate writing fight scenes. Ironic.  
Also, if you people like art, Blooming does the designs and sketches for this series over on her _**[Tumblr](https://silveriaphoenix.tumblr.com/)**_ and her _**[Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/silveriaphoenix)**_ channel, she'll be starting up mid-ish late-December once her exams finish, so if you like that kinda thing, go follow her and see her amazing art, because it is amazing. Most times over on her twitch she will stream her art live, and if its concerned with this series, or mostly rose garden, in general, you can catch up with both of us, because we can't stop rambling at all, XD

_/_

* * *

_/_

 

Chapter 4

  
Ruby raced through every room before she picked one.  
Screw bunkbeds, though.  
But the rooms that had the one larger bed were awesome.  
The colours palette, on the other hand, all muted blues, greys, black and white, made her stomach churn with the need to splash paint everywhere.  
Reappearing in one room, she slammed the door with her foot. “DIBS!” Ruby called, and she could hear both Yang and Nora yell out in all good annoyance.  
  
Ruby walked over to the bed and deposited Crescent Rose on it, before unbuckling her bag to place next to it.  
If there was one thing she liked so far about Atlas was the appreciation of large windows.  
Looking to the opposite wall from the bed, was the largest window she had ever seen in a bedroom, dressed up with blue-sheer curtains that were separated by lace tassels binding the curtains to the wall.  
She did wonder how they could keep the morning sun out since the curtains she could see were mainly for show, the blue sheer lace hanging up and around the delicate blue shine glass poles were to say anything about that.  
Even if Oscar liked to wake with the sun, she certainly _did not_. Ruby could also understand that they couldn’t exactly operate in daylight hours until something was done with the council.  
Which they needed the CCT tower up and operational for.  
  
Ruby blinked out of her mind, gathered herself, found the nearest bathroom for reference, then raced downstairs to find Oscar, and map out the rest of the compound Oscar had brought them too while she was at it.  
She hoped she didn’t need to wrestle out why Oscar was against this place in the first place.  
  
./.  
  
Ruby reappeared when she spotted Oscar in the dull coloured kitchen, flipping on a glass fitted kettle, watching the water bubble as it boiled.  
“Oscar?” She voiced.  
He turned to her and grinned. “Hot chocolate?” He asked.  
Ruby could keep her mouth from salivating. “Yes, please!” She responded happily.  
Oscar nodded, and she watched him as he moved about the kitchen, opening cupboard and doors to pull out mugs and the much-needed hot chocolate mix, while she went over to the metallic looking fridge to pull out some unopened long-life milk to hand over to Oscar once she checked it was in date.  
“Will it be similar to Haven? With a roster system?” Ruby was asking.  
Oscar looked thoughtful. “Maybe. If we need to stay here long enough.” Oscar responded thoughtfully as the kettle clicked off.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
There were enough bedrooms for them all, even if Qrow had to take the room of bunks.  
He was sure he’d have a bruised head each day he woke up if he didn’t just surrender to the couch each night. He didn’t doubt either option would be detrimental to his health in some way.  
Ruby, seeing there weren’t enough seats for them all, ran off to get some chairs around the table in the kitchen for them to use if they wanted to.  
By the time they had all picked out a room, the coatroom under the stairs was filled with their coats, some had laid scarves and mufflers through the black metal balusters of the staircase to dry, and for easy snatchings should they need to rush out.  
  
They were all in the main room sitting around, tired but looking to Oscar expectantly.  
Oscar finally sighed. “Alright, so I’m not trying to take over from your missions, but there are some things you guys need to know about Atlas at current, that Miss Weiss might not know of.” Oscar started.  
Weiss nodded, she could hardly recognise her birth home with its erected wall and shut-out-culprit feel.  
It felt like she was trapped in her own home. Again. _Technically_.  
“Alright…what can we expect?” Jaune was asking.  
  
Oscar was looking pensively into his mug, next to an open-minded Ruby. “I…recall you’ve all had lessons on what a “closed-state” is?” Oscar asked, and they nodded. “Well, Atlas is similar, currently to a closed state of the past. From what I can recall of the council previously, and what I could gather from what Ironwood couldn’t say: we will not receive help from the local Huntsmen, in fact, if they find us here, they will in more likelihood fight us, and your missions be turned a failure.” Oscar informed.  
  
“Alright. So, we need to not act in daylight hours.” Ruby summed up.  
Oscar nodded at her. “Correct. You will find resistance to your CCT tower mission if you are seen.” Oscar warned.  
Ruby nodded thoughtfully.  
  
“…So, should we do the CCT tower first, then tackle the dust embargo and the border opening of Atlas if the opening of the CCT doesn’t do it for us?” Jaune was questioning.  
Weiss was the one who scoffed. “The dust embargo might take a little longer than a simple button being pressed.” Weiss grumbled in annoyance.  
Ruby eyed her teammate in wary. “…Alright…” She noted Qrow’s horrified expression, she gathered it was because he knew where Weiss was coming from. “Then we can take down the wall, and the CCT at the same time?” She questioned.  
  
Some had leaned forward by that time. “Which area will need more people?” Pyrrha was asking.  
They all looked to Oscar for their answer.  
Oscar blinked. “Both areas will be under guard. As evident from our getting in, we will also not receive any help, we will be hindered by every Atlassian and a moments glance, since they will know everyone, but Miss Weiss is an outsider.” Oscar reminded.  
Weiss gave out an annoyed vocalisation that made her teeth click.  
“It would be in our best interest to remain nondescript, and further from the eyes of the Schnee Mansion.” Oscar added.  
There were no arguments there.  
  
“So, we split into our two teams?” Yang asked.  
Ruby was looking to Oscar, who looked thoughtful. Oscar, in turn, looked to Qrow. “Do you need to be specifically marking them, since they should split for this?” He asked.  
Qrow frowned. “I assume you’d have me go with one group?” He asked.  
Oscar cocked his head. “You can’t be in two places at once.” He reminded.  
“That’s true,” Qrow remarked, then looked to Ruby and Jaune. “Which will you send?” He asked curiously, with a tone they understood that he was back into marking them.  
  
Both Jaune and Ruby looked to each other, while their peers looked to their leaders.  
“We should scope the two missions out to find out which is more catered for either team.” Qrow nodded as if that was what he wanted to hear. “I’m not sure how long that’ll take, so it might be easier if we only send a few out to scope and convey back here,” She eyed Qrow who shook his head. “…Which ends up being me.” Ruby sighed.  
Ruby’s semblance made it easier for no one to notice her. She glared at Yang when her sister made a comment about being able to sleep in.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
They took the day to recover from travelling. They also had to be conservative with how much resources they consumed since they weren’t able to replace anything they ate or used until two of three missions were done at least.  
  
Oscar watched from sitting on the bed as Ruby sorted out what she needed to carry with her, so it would be as light as possible on her person. She made sure several times she had her Scroll with her, if she needed to make verbal notations, or take photos.  
Oscar, by now was frowning. “Ruby…You do know I’m coming with you, right?” He asked as she seemed at odds with how much or how little she needed in a possibly commandeered bag.  
  
Ruby’s head shot up. “You are?” She burst out in confusion.  
Oscar stared at her. “Yes!” He told her, jumping off the bed. “Why wouldn’t I?” He asked grumpily, crossing his arms.  
Ruby stared at him dizzily. “I’m sorry — I just. No. I should have asked you.” Ruby ended up stuttering out.  
Now Oscar was frowning in confusion. “You’ve made no sense, Ruby.” He told her.  
Ruby had a look on her face Oscar could only describe as confusion and self-annoyance. “I’ve been assuming too much.” She muttered.  
  
Oscar was still frowning. “…About…whether or not I’d go with you?” He asked in confusion.  
“…Yes?” She voiced quietly and saw he was staring at her. “…Not just that.” She ended up adding. Oscar looked completely lost. “It’s just…I don’t know…I went ahead and thought about that I wanted you here, and not really thinking about what you’d want. Glynda said you needed to live your own life. And Yang said to ask you not coercively, and I don’t know exactly what she meant by that, or how to not do it if I didn’t know I was doing it before.” Ruby was rambling, her hands fidgeting against the other, her nerves shot to hell.  
  
Oscar blinked at her.  
“…And how long have you kept that inside you?” He asked in concern.  
“…Since the start of this mission?” Ruby responded meekly.  
Oscar just sighed and went over to her only to lift her head by her chin, so she was looking at him. “If you’re so worried about assuming, why don’t you just ask when you think you are? I’ve always said yes in the past.” Oscar reminded her. “The worse thing I can say is no, with a reason, Ruby.” He added.  
Ruby blinked him and nodded.  
  
“Like you’ve woken me up at midnight for wanting me to make cookies, that’ll get you a definite no.” Oscar said.  
Ruby gave out a wet chuckle, and he pawed the tears from her cheeks.  
“Alright?” He asked, staring at her in the eyes.  
Ruby nodded meekly, and only then did he let her go.  
  
For every five things she set out to carry, Oscar took most seeing how she struggled with her coat and bag previously.  
“Oh, and Ruby?” Oscar called as she pulled her hood up to reattach the fur.  
“Hmm…?” She asked as she focused on the fur.  
“You really don’t need to pack food, you can come back for it. Something small will do.” Oscar told her happily.  
Ruby ended up hurling the food at his head when she saw his grin.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
The wind in Atlas was mind-numbing along with chilling to exposed skin.  
Ruby’s semblance at her high speeds was no good in the frequent storms, at her slower speeds the wind felt worse than chilling.  
By a week of reconnaissance, Ruby was heavily considering asking if Oscar wanted to stay behind so he could stay warm. (To which he glared at her as a response.)  
By the end of the week, they knew no one opened up shop in the night time, everyone went home with the sun setting, or when there was a storm alert raised.  
All in all, no one was out and about apart from Atlesian Knights that roam robotically in shift pattern.  
Ruby and Oscar had found them easier to tiptoe around than any other human they miraculously crossed in other sectors of the city they mapped out once they had their shift patterns down.  
  
But by that week, they hadn’t been able to access the CCT tower, or the border control tower for the wall.  
Those areas (plus the Schnee Mansion) seemed the only places in Atlas that seemed to be patrolled by both the AK-200’s and the human division of the Atlas military.  
And wholly _not_ passable. At least not with the entire city’s army coming alive to hunt them down. (They knew exactly how hard it was to take down _one_ Paladin. They didn’t wanna know how hard it was to take down its platoon.)  
It wasn’t an option for RWBY or JNPR if they wanted to attend their looming graduation.  
  
“Okay. So, what we’re saying is that no matter what we do, we’re going to get caught.” Jaune was saying when Ruby explained her findings.  
“You should have let me break down that wall.” Nora grumbled in annoyance.  
“Whatever it is, we need to figure it out quick because we’re running out of supplies.” Blake added.  
Both Qrow and Oscar had kept quiet to let the two teams sort out what they were doing.  
“If we create a diversion, do you think the door soldiers will leave?” Pyrrha asked.  
  
“That is possible. But then would we need to create two? One to survey the two areas, and the other for when we need to get in? Wouldn’t they get sus by the third? We’ve already made one.” Yang added.  
“It’s not as if we can lead Grimm into the city, we don’t exactly want to cause large-scale panic, or harm any of the civilians.” Ren said.  
  
Ruby was looking to Weiss. “This far in, will anyone recognise your summoning?” She asked.  
Weiss shook her head. “Not if they’re not familiar with the Schnee Semblance.” Weiss told her.  
“So, we’re safe, because they’ll think they’re Grimm.” Jaune added.  
Weiss nodded.  
By now Ruby was grinning. “Then they’ll fall for it every time.” She said while grinning.  
  
It was set to happen in the coming few days, so they could prepare. Everyone had vacated to go to bed by the time Oscar put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder to stall her from leaving the room.  
“Ruby?” He questioned.  
Ruby looked to him with a curious expression. “What’s wrong?” She asked in concern.  
Oscar shook his head. “Nothing to be concerned with, I just wanted to ask you something.”  
Ruby turned to him fully. “What’s that?” She asked curiously.  
“Would you mind doing a flyover in the morning, there’s a place I remember from before that remakes weapons and they won’t ask too many questions about us being there if we have money.” Oscar asked, reminding her that he was only allowed to come because he needed to remake his weapon.  
Ruby blinked but nodded. “Sure. As long as it’s safe!” She said.  
  
./.  
  
Ruby was up at first light and already at the sector, Oscar told her the place he knew of was.  
She was going to make sure they were seen as little as possible, knowing Oscar was going to need his weapon if they got caught in the later missions.  
  
Ruby only landed when there was no one about, being as early as she was, the only people who had wandered into the sector were people going to work or picking up orders.  
The road they reappeared in was empty, and so was the shop.  
The man manning didn’t even look up when Ruby pulled down her very non-Atlas hood. Oscar looked more nondescript then she did. And she could pick up the subtle concern in his eyes at the thought her clothing would eventually give her away.  
Oscar immediately looked up and saw the roofing was ideal, and pointing upwards to Ruby, who immediately nodded and was racing upwards to hide in plain sight.  
  
The man looked up when Ruby’s disappearance caused the wind to gust his way.  
“Sorry!” Oscar was saying, and he kicked the door behind him closed. “Kinda gusty outside.” He added.  
The man shrugged. “What can I do for you…?” He asked, trailing off when he realised how young his customer actually was.  
  
Oscar looked sheepish as he shrugged. “Kinda need a new weapon, since this,” He shrugged the one shoulder Silvis was perched on. “Kinda doesn’t do much against Grimm.” He said.  
The seller looked to the weapon in aversion. “Is that wood?!” He exclaimed in horror. “Crap, kid, how are you not dead yet?!” He asked in wonderment.  
“Good reflexes?” Oscar questioned.  
  
The man shook his head. “Hell no. How much lien do you have?” He asked.  
Oscar held up the amounted lien both Ruby and Qrow had shoved in his direction. So, thanks, Ozpin?  
The look on the man’s face was comical. “You could have my entire shop for that.” He muttered.  
Oscar sided his head. “Many years of birthday money, I’m afraid.” Oscar summed up. “Mind if I use your stuff?” He asked.  
He eyed him. “As long as you know what you’re doing.” He said.  
Which translated out to he would watch his every move as Oscar moved about to remake Silvis into a metal transforming reimage of itself.  
  
Oscar knew the entire layout of the shop, so he knew where to find the needed materials to his liking.  
And he wasn’t fond of moving too far away from a staff-like structure.  
It just needed to have transforming capabilities.  
And a silencer.  
Because if he was allowed a gun, it was going to be able to wreck robot and Grimm alike and no one should be the wiser he was there in the first place.  
  
Half the front shop was metal materials based, the other was dust crystals and manipulations. Oscar took a length of foldable capable brown, almost-near-black metal that was sleek and nearly the same size in length and diameter as Silvis’ current size.  
In the back of the shop, at the workbench laid Ventus Silvis, now in pieces, the wood to one side, its natural green dust pried from its wooden home, so it could be used in the newer weapon as its previous function to be cut into the pommel which the metal would curl around. The golden wind dust laden hilt was to be reused again as a hilt, but where the staff length would fold up into, similar to how the cane worked, just without the gears and shift mechanisms of old. It also would be the new home for the metal ring holding the red string and silver feather would attach to where the pommel crystal met the hilt.  
  
By the end of the day, Oscar had a working, transforming Huntsmen weapon at a moment’s whirl of his wrist: its metal structure almost in a shape of a question mark curling around the newly cut green ruby-diamond shaped dust crystal, its golden hilt holding the furled-up metal staff length in its insides, its outside on one side was now coated in a metallic strip so Oscar could attach it to one of his belts. Its length pure folding metal re-etched in dust symbols with gravity dust wasn’t visible by eye unless active by Oscar in a fight to activate the dust for whatever reason he would need them for.  
  
The only thing different, aside from the wood being replaced by the metal, were the now several metal-like length-wise protrusions, one up near on the longer side, where the crystal was housed, and two either side the hilt: these were the weapon’s transforming abilities to now, at a twirl of the weapon, transform it into a fully automated standing-and-holding sniper rifle.  
If he didn’t get top marks from O’Brennan, he was going to flip a table.  
  
He knew somewhere between starting and reassembly the vendor left him alone, seeing he was competent enough to not break his entire place. Oscar knew the vendor hadn’t noticed the Ruby in his rafters above him: sometimes giggling and making faces that he tried _really hard_ to not react to. At least the vendor was gone when he snorted in mirth at her antics.  
  
Furling the weapon up was a little different then what Oscar remembered and had muscle memory for, but it was similar in the wrist movement, there was just no shift release mechanism for his fingers to find.  
Most nowadays huntsmen weaponry went over his head, the gun mechanic most of all, he only chose the rifle because Ruby had one, and he was familiar with how to shoot hers.  
But that was it.  
  
He would need her to talk him through the gun part again, and which cartridge, or calibre, or whatever the heck it was called that he needed for the weapon to function properly and not blow up in his face.  
Since it was expensive to add, he really kind of wanted it to remain intact for future use.  
  
Oscar placed up the hilt on the vendor’s reception deck, the man who, by now, was staring at him incomprehensively.  
“So, how much?” Oscar asked, noting, and ignoring Ruby’s giggling for the time being.  
He was still staring. “…Just who are you?” He questioned as if he had never seen a seventeen-year-old know his way around his shop before.  
…And he properly hadn’t, because Oscar doubted Ruby came here to build Crescent Rose.  
Oscar ended up shrugging. “Just a student.” He said nonchalantly.  
The man just sighed. “Kids these days with their need to pack their weapons full of crap they don’t need.” He ended up muttering, shaking his head and ringing up the materials used to make Silvis new again.  
But, true to Oscar’s initial assessment, didn’t ask any more questions and let Oscar leave once paying for the remodelled weapon, and didn’t question further why Oscar kept the door open just a tad longer than necessary to say farewell.  
  
./.  
  
Seeing no one in the street, they knew they didn’t need to hide immediately.  
Oscar turned to Ruby, grinning triumphantly.  
“So…?” Ruby asked.  
Oscar scrunched his nose up jubilantly.  
“RUBY!” A voice was suddenly yelling, cutting Oscar off.  
Ruby was suddenly being piledrived into the snow of the street face first, and not by her sister.  
It caused Oscar to stare at the body mass suddenly claiming Ruby to the ground.  
“Penny!” Ruby was yelling, slightly in pain.  
It looked like it hurt from where Oscar stood.  
  
Penny, in the five seconds she had faceplanted into Ruby must have remembered she weighed more than the average human her size, quickly got off her and stood to help Ruby back up.  
“What are you doing here!” Penny was asking all but holding her friend up by her armpits like Ruby weighed nothing.  
Ruby wheezed, while Oscar eyed the Atlas android trying to figure out if he needed to break the meet and greet up, or if he could rely on the girl not give them away to Atlas officials.  
“Are you questioning why we’re here, or how we got here?” Ruby was finally able to ask curiously.  
  
Penny blinked at Ruby, then shrugged. “I can guess you’re here for a reason, I don’t need to question that!” Penny chirped.  
Ruby and Oscar looked at each other for a second, and Penny looked from one another quizzable.  
“Are you here to help Atlas?” She continued to ask curiously.  
Ruby blinked. “In a way that Atlas, currently, won’t like.” Ruby told her.  
“I’m actually surprised you’ve not had orders to arrest non-Atlas persons.” Oscar added.  
Penny looked to them again. “Atlas has become such, I agree. The military is on high alert since the walls went back up. But I’m negating those orders because I know Ruby here wouldn’t try to harm Atlas.” Penny said resolutely.  
Ruby stared at her friend in awe.  
  
While Oscar nodded. “Then you know that the incoming sounds of the AK-200’s won’t be so graceful with their leeway in command,” Oscar said, both girls turned to him, Ruby blinking in that slightly feared tinged in her eyes telling him she hadn’t heard their footsteps, while Penny was amazed he could hear them at all. “So, my question to you, is that are you willing to help us, if you are, you’d be going against Atlas, as it currently stands.” Oscar told her.  
Penny nodded. “I’m helping my friend.” She said forcibly. “I won’t give you away.” She added to Oscar’s once-over.  
Oscar nodded at Ruby and the trio was gone from the street before the AK-200’s made their turn into the street for their patrol.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Penny hadn’t changed much if any at all during the years they hadn’t see her.  
Ruby slammed shut the door behind them and reappeared in the main meeting area of the complex they were staying at.  
Oscar, understanding the android wouldn’t hurt Ruby on purpose, or give them away, wandered over to the kitchen to flip the kettle on.  
“Guys!” He yelled as he went. “We have company!” He added.  
His alert made the rest of the house come alive, with doors being slammed open, and a stampede of rushing feet.  
  
When Oscar returned with his mug, he had several people staring at either himself or at Penny.  
“Why’s she here?” Qrow was hissing at him, incredulously.  
Penny looked slightly overwhelmed by the amount of attention she was receiving.  
“She’s here to help. She won’t give us away.” Oscar told him.  
Qrow stared at him. “She’s Atlesian!” He hissed, pointing.  
“So is Weiss.” Oscar pointed out.  
“And how do you know she won’t give us away?” Qrow asked, emanating several of the other children in the room.  
Ruby looked apprehensively nervous.  
  
Oscar just sighed, rolled his eyes and walked over to Penny.  
“Penny Polendina.” He started, firm in his voice.  
Penny immediately reacted: turning to him, eyes wide, almost as if awaiting his command.  
“Do you still have the function in you that when you lie, you hiccup?” He asked.  
Penny blinked as if she was confused (as were several others) how Oscar knew about the function, but she nodded all the same.  
“Okay, state your hair colour.” Oscar started.  
“Orange.” Penny told him.  
“Now tell me it is blue.” Oscar asked her.  
“It is blue.” Penny immediately said, then hiccupped at her lie for them all to hear.  
  
“Are you Ruby’s friend?” Oscar continued, and Penny nodded. “Are you willing to endanger her?” He added.  
Penny’s immediate response was for her hands to curl up in hidden rage and shake her head. “I will not! I will not endanger my friends! Atlas military personnel have been ordered to bring in non-Atlas persons, and I will not!” She said heatedly, stamping her foot. “I won’t!” She said as if she needed to say it again for proof as if the non-hiccupping wasn’t going to be enough to clear her of any guilt she thought they had with her.  
  
Oscar eyed the room and noted no one now was nervous of the sudden reappearance of the Atlassian android.    
“A few more questions,” Oscar started, suddenly curious of Penny’s response.  
Penny looked around and seeing no one was mad, even Ruby had that happier smile on her face, which seemed a little wider and more jubilant since she last saw her, turned her attention back to Oscar and nodded. “Will you give away Weiss, who is, most likely wanted by the Schnee head of family?” He asked.  
Penny immediately looked to Weiss and cocked her head. “You do not wish to be found?” She questioned.  
Weiss shook her head intensely.  
“Then that is not for me to interfere.” Penny noted.  
“And how about Miss Blake?” Oscar added.  
Blake flinched, but Penny looked confused, before she understood the main issue, and shook her head. “Not for me to judge or interfere.” Penny said.  
“And if, because of our interference here, the wider Atlas military is bearing down on us, how will you act?” Oscar asked.  
  
Penny cocked her head. “Can I know why you are here? Your purpose?” She asked.  
Ruby stepped forward. “We’re here to bring to CCT tower back online, and the ending of the embargos.” She said.  
Penny lit up. “Then Beacon is repaired!?” She near yelled jubilantly.  
Ruby nodded. “We’ve been told that we will meet resistance in any attempt to turn it back on, or in lowering the walls around Atlas.” Ruby added.  
Penny nodded. “That is true. But Atlas is not benefitting from the closure of the CCT, or the erecting of its old walls. I will assist if you need me to, and I will go up against the military if you are discovered.” Penny said heatedly, with a salute.  
Oscar eyed Qrow. “There. You happy?” He asked.  
Qrow glared at him.  
  
The air around them was now calm and not so ridged in alarm.  
Penny took in the people in the room, and she knew all of them, recalling them from the Vytal Festival. There was only one boy she hadn’t met that she first saw when she had spotted Ruby from a mile away on the street.  
“Ruby…?” She questioned, sidling back up to her friend. Ruby turned to her questioningly. Penny pointed to Oscar, who was taking a drink from his mug. “Is he your friend?” She questioned.  
Ruby immediately went as red as her name, and Oscar nearly spat out his drink to save himself from choking.  
Penny blinked in confusion over their reaction while Yang was laughing so hard she was bent over holding her stomach.  
“Take it from me kid, you’re better off not knowing.” Qrow grouched.  
“HEY!” Ruby yelled.  
It only served to make Yang laugh louder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to those who have stuck so far with this, said that my writing has improved, and since at least two of you have classified this as a book. It's now a book. Change my mind.  
> Also, the God of darkness yeeted the moon.
> 
> Reviews are nice. Each time someone reviews Oscar gets a well-deserved hug.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora just wants to bust down a wall, and she gets her chance. They don't "get the hell outta dodge and avoid scuffles". Qrow just wants to be his namesake. Penny wants to hack everything. Ruby would easily make a spy, given the chance. Qrow never gets a break when Atlas wakes up. Ruby wishes for a big red button. Oscar knows morse code. Ruby has a sudden realisation. The human division of the Atlas military is gonna need some therapy after all this. If there was any worry, Silvis is also a gun. Don't @ me, I don't make the rules. Oscar finally gets his deserved hug. Ironwood stops all the fun. Oscar is an entire Mood towards the Schnee Mansion. Someone needs a new chess set. Qrow rethinks his life choices and Ruby draws blood.

_The darkest of night falls around my soul. And the hunter within loses control: Gotta let it out, gotta let it out! This demon inside has a hold of me. Clenching its power trying to break free: Gotta let it out, gotta let it out! Move fast baby, don’t be slow, step aside, reload, time to go! I can’t seem to control all this rage that’s inside me! I just can’t resist: All this vengeance inside me. All of these thoughts running through my head. Frustration is getting bigger: Bang, bang, bang, pull my Devil Trigger. No hiding in the shadows anymore. When this wickedness consumes me, nothing can save you and there’s no way out! There’s no way to contain this storm swelling inside me. Can’t turn down, I refuse to hold back anymore!  
— _ [Casey Edwards & Ali Edwards](https://youtu.be/8k6GC5NtuAg)

_Other Music:_  
_[Maroon 5](https://youtu.be/aIBV7taBFj0) _ _— Lucky Strike  
_ [ _Veorra_ ](https://youtu.be/NKcncKnQcDU) _— Silk (Coin Flip)_

/

* * *

/

 

_**A/N:**_ So the fact that Silvis now looks like Ozma's staff is purely coincidental since I wrote it being remade like early this year. So welp for that. Also, Silvis (II) should make sense. Ii it does, it'll make sense soon. Blooming is making concept art for it as she did for Mark I, and I'll post it up here once she's finished with it. Along with anything else she makes for this series while she's at it. She's the best.  
  
Also, if any of you have the amino app or discord, you'll be able to find me under my other name of "Nemiko", come chat with us, and know we're all insane there. I don't know how to work amino well, but I'm there, there's a chat for this series there where we all talk, and through the rose garden discord channel as well if any of those options sound appealing.  
I think the amino one invite is this [_one_](https://aminoapps.com/c/RWBYRoseGarden).  
And the Rosegarden channel for discord is [_this_](https://discord.gg/tWqPwvH)!  
  
I may end up asking for your patience throughout the uploading of this story, since I have now gona back to school for the summer period, with my arch nemesis of two units of math, which will lead up to Christmas, where I have family obligations to forfil. So there may be weeks where I am unable to post a chapter, its not because I've died, its because life is a bitch.  
  
Also, if you're not from them, Ly from Tumblr has made art for this series that I don't think I've stopped screaming about, and you can check it out [_here_](https://lythecreatorart.tumblr.com/post/180422856080/if-you-wonder-why-there-is-so-much-rosegarden-in). I cried. You have no idea how grateful I am to her, and to Blooming for all the work they do.  
Art makes me cry.  
  
Anyways, everyone in the latest episodes all need to chill out and take time in the naughty corner. Also, did you know? I'm extremely afraid of wine cellars, my anaphylactic reaction to alcohol be _damed_ , I do not want any more nightmare fuel, and I've seen enough horror movies to know where _that_ is going!

 

/

* * *

/

Chapter 5

  
As it turned out, Penny was scheduled to rotate in shift with the AK-200’s at the border control tower the day they decided to take the wall down. With her innate compatibility with the tower and Oscar’s knowledge of the CCT tower, they only needed to attempt getting in once, find the necessary red buttons, press them, then get the hell outta dodge and hopefully avoid any military scuffles.  
The day came sooner than most wanted it to.  
  
Nora was adamant she be on the team that got to bust down a wall, or _anything_ for that matter. Which was how Qrow got saddled chaperoning team JNPR and the rest of RWBY to the border control tower because there would be several gates that needed to be busted open for them to gain entrance, and a happy Penny to assist with _hacking_ of the new controls, leaving Ruby and Oscar for the CCT tower.  
With the follow up to happen with them all on the Schnee mansion about the dust embargo.  
  
It was just before sunrise, when Ruby reappeared near the CCT tower and noted they were near the time for the change of shift, waiting the five minutes for the AK-200’s to turn, was excruciating, but as soon as they did, the red flower petals went unnoticed by the changing in shift.  
And just like that, they had infiltrated the tower successfully.  
  
They hoped the inside of the tower was devoid of guards as well since they had seen no comings and goings from the military for the building, hopefully going for the guarding of the front door to be enough.  
They waited in the shadows for the Grimm attack alarm to go off before they moved to signify that the rest of their peers were at the border control tower, with Weiss on the opposite side of Atlas summoning Nevermores from the shadows so no one would see her. Once the alarm went off and the foot soldiers went to quell the so-called threat, the rest of RWBY and JNPR were free to do their jointed jobs.  
  
Ruby and Oscar were crouched beside a window watching the AK-200’s standing outside to attention when suddenly the ear-splitting air alarm blaring warning of a Grimm attack sounded out, causing the metal soldiers to immediately abandon post and run in the direction they knew Weiss was summoning from.  
With no personnel coming from the stairs, they figured it was safe, so Ruby gathered up Oscar and raced up the stairs noting that it was becoming that little bit harder to haul the boy up onto her back then it had been in the past.  
  
Coming up to the top of the stairs Ruby let Oscar down and looked to him.  
“How do we turn it back on?” She questioned.  
Oscar’s eyes swept the area, then beckoned Ruby to follow as he went over to the door marked for staff only.  
Oscar saw the number of controls in the room, and went over to them, while Ruby turned her back on him, and folded out Crescent Rose in case they had anyone come upon them while Oscar worked.  
  
./.  
  
They waited for the Grimm attack alarm to go off before moving into the first gate of the control tower, they could see Penny guarding as well, she had spotted them a mile away but hadn’t given them away.  
The alarm sounded out, and without a second thought the guarding soldiers all ran out, all but Penny, who turned to them and saluted.  
“Combat ready!” She remarked happily, making many smile at her regard. “While I can take the wall down, I need to be _inside_. I don’t have the key for the gates.” She advised.  
  
Herein Nora smiled. “Already on it.” She smirked evilly bringing out her Magnhild all too happily.  
“Are there any soldiers nearby that’ll hear?” Jaune asked her.  
Penny stalled for a second to hear, then shook her head. “Nope!” She said.  
Then Nora brought down her hammer against the gate, bringing it down in one swing.  
With the first gate down, they all rushed inside, while Qrow, now as a crow, swooped up to the outside window ledge to keep a lookout for any soldiers returning.  
He noted where the Schnee mansion was off to the side, its soldiers hadn’t moved an inch, and neither had the Paladin platoon outside.  
Which hopefully wouldn’t activate.  
  
At each gate Nora was all too happy to swing her hammer at, they finally gained access to the towers’ control office, Jaune kicked the door down, and Pyrrha seeing the guards immediately used her semblance on them to whack them together and gently put them in the corner in their unconscious state. At each gate they had left a member to guard, they were left with just Penny to remain, leaving Nora at the last gate, with a strict _no you can’t bring any more walls down_. She was just as happy with that command as she was about leaving Ren at the previous gate.  
  
Penny, seeing the room was cleared rushed over to the controls system and sat down, before looking to both Jaune and Pyrrha.  
“Do you want them all down, or just the gates?” She asked.  
Both looked to each other. “Do they keep the Grimm out?” Jaune asked.  
Penny nodded as she started typing and the monitors in front of her reacted.  
“Then make it like it was prior to the borders being shut. I don’t want Grimm invading the place.” Jaune said as Pyrrha turned to guard the door.  
Penny nodded and went to work.  
  
“They will notice.” Penny warned.  
“Which will keep their focus off of Ruby and Oscar turning the CCT tower on.” Jaune said.  
“But they will know we’re here.” Pyrrha noted.  
Jaune looked to her. “True. But we also have the more manpower here, and hopefully, the fighting won’t last long if they can get the CCT tower up and running.” Jaune told her.  
The two girls nodded.  
“I will alert you to just before they will become suspicious of our interference.” Penny told them as she worked.  
“Thanks, Penny.” Pyrrha told her, knowing how close their Vytal Festival fight came to Penny being permanently offline.  
Penny took a second to look at Pyrrha before grinning happily and saluting. “All good!” She remarked, just as happy, and all forgiven.  
  
“All done!” Penny was saying as she shot up from the chair.  
“Then let’s go!” Jaune yelled and they bolted for the door, collecting everyone on their way out before the alarm went off from the military figuring out someone, most likely an intruder had started the procedure to open the gates.  
No amount of Grimm would deter the nearby soldiers who hadn’t abandoned their posts to wake up and come at them.  
  
They made it back to the first gate and Qrow appeared next to them.  
“Did you hit the wrong button!?” He asked, eyeing the nearby Paladins rising from their sleep.  
“No. It would have happened anyway!” Penny insisted.  
Qrow groaned seeing the platoon wake up, and its foot soldiers that hadn’t gone to investigate the Grimm alert.  
“Just great.” He wasn’t alone in muttering seeing them become alert to their presence.  
Seeing so, they all readied their weapons in preparation to fight once they were registered as non-Atlas personnel.    
“They know you are non-Atlas.” Penny remarked, probably receiving the memo.  
“Just _great_.” Qrow moaned.  
  
./.  
  
Ruby nearly dropped her scythe when another alarm assaulted her ears.  
“What is that?!” She yelled over the alarm.  
“They’ve picked up there’s non-Atlas personnel!” Oscar remarked, not moving from his position and looked as if he had picked up the pace that his fingers worked.  
“Why is there never a big red button like there is in the fairy tales!” Ruby remarked.  
“I’m getting to it!” Oscar yelled back over the noise.  
“If they’ve been spotted we need to go help!” Ruby said.  
Oscar nodded and worked around the system as much as he could, trying to not get themselves noticed as well.  
  
“Oscar!” Ruby was yelling as she felt the tower shake and footsteps rushing up the stairs.  
“On it!” Oscar shouted, standing up, the red screens turning white.  
“ _Welcome to Atlas!_ ” The outside screens announced Oscar’s success. “ _CCT Tower operational!_ ” It added.  
Oscar rushed to the side screen pulling up and commlink screen and input a line direct to Beacon’s headmaster’s office, inputting several bypassing measures and passcodes to send Ozpin a direct message:

_-.-. --- ..- -. -.-. .. .-.. / .. -. / .-. ..- .. -. .-.-.- /_  
_.-- . / .... .- ...- . / -... . . -. / ..-. --- ..- -. -.. .-.-.- /_  
_\- .... . / .- .-. -- -.-- / -.-. --- -- . ... .-.-.- /_  
... - --- .--. .-.-.- /  
[\--- .--.](http://morsecode.world/m/eJwNydsNgCAQBMCEGihgK7geENZwidwRHhr7b0Tnd0KIMfu2rBfUMLaa4CFquomDNJz_FsGqRBrtRfbGKZjLu8D7B_YmD_M=)

Oscar looked back to Ruby who had taken care of the few soldiers that came at them.  
“We can leave!” Oscar told her as he sent the last message.  
“Alright!” Ruby nodded and headed for the exit to make sure there were no more soldiers inbound.  
  
Getting out the tower was the easy part with the entirety of the Atlas Military heading towards the border control tower.  
“How long will it take for Ozpin to…?” Ruby asked in a bundle of nerves, blurting out only half of what she wanted to say, stepping that little bit closer to Oscar.  
Oscar looked at her and took her hand. “Shouldn’t be long. But we will need to fight until they have been told to stand down. I told Ozpin.” He told her.  
Ruby nodded and took a second to suddenly realise that Oscar was near the same height as her.  
When had that happened?  
She mentally shook her head, got her head back in the game gathered herself up around Oscar instead of hauling him up like usual.  
  
./.  
  
Ruby’s entrance was marked by a swing of her scythe and a few stabs from Silvis as they reappeared on the now battlefield in front of RWBY and JNPR, noting that Weiss had reappeared chasing several of the human Military division with smaller Nevermores, _gleefully_ , Qrow was on the other side of the foot soldiers keeping his distance for their own safety.  
“Okay, so we have the entirety of the Atlas Military baring down on us, any ideas?” Ruby asked, transforming her scythe down to her gun, noting warily how many Paladins were around. More than she had ever taken down in her career.  
“Stall for time?” Oscar questioned.  
Ruby nodded. “This I can do!” She chirped before she rounded on several of the inbound AK-200’s leaving the human division to an all too gleeful Weiss and Penny.  
It was good to see Penny again.  
She should learn more about mechanic engineering, biomechanics to be more precise once she got the idea of engineering mechanically. She needed to start somewhere.  
  
Ruby had noticed that Oscar had Silvis unfurled and he was whacking several dents into the AK-200’s single handily like he had a bone to pick with them all.  
“How’s the metalworking for you?” She asked over the sound of Yang’s gunshots and Nora’s evil laughter.  
“I’m getting used to it!” Oscar called back.  
Both immediately stalled seeing a Paladin running up to them, they eyed each other nervously before Oscar suddenly twirled his staff around in a full circle, the weapon transforming as it went: the length retracting and both a scope and trigger mechanism popped out on the hilt as Oscar took aim at the charging Paladin, and with one shot, the Paladin slumped to a screeching halt in the road. Devoid of life.  
  
Ruby halted to watch him and squealed with overwhelming pride and joy that she raced to hug the boy once the Paladin was done sliding on the ground from its charge.  
“That was so cool!” Ruby yelled in excitement.  
They all noted that the other foot soldiers were now looking at him with a human-likeness of wary, almost as if they wanted to avoid the boy but had orders that contradicted their motives that only halted them a fraction of a minute before they charged again.  
Ruby and Oscar broke apart, and with a twirl of Silvis the gun mechanisms folded away, and Oscar was back to denting foot soldiers with every whack of the staff happily.  
  
With the AK-200 division de-limbed, and the human division rethinking their involvement, it was now only the platoon of automotive versions of the Paladins charging at them.  
“Ruby!” Oscar yelled.  
Ruby turned to him and he was pointing to a nearby building roof while he stored Silvis on his belt. She nodded, understanding, gathering herself and racing over to him only to drop him off at the roof to race back down to her team, reappearing next to Weiss.  
“Ice flower!” She yelled as she moved her scythe around her, Weiss immediately readied her glyphs.  
Oscar twirled his staff around and with a subtle movement the length remained, its scope and trigger popping out alongside stands that he slammed into the roofing for purchase as he aimed for the now frozen platoon of Paladins, noting which were being targeted by JNPR and RWBY in duos as well as the crow circling, monitoring them all.  
  
“ _All units stand down! All units!_ ” Ironwood’s voice was shouting over the PA system.  
What was left of the automated Atlas Military immediately powered down, and the human division immediately dropped their weapons in plea they stop being chased by a way too cheerful Weiss, Nora and Penny.  
Ruby, hearing Ironwood raced back up to collect Oscar and reappeared next to Qrow, weapons still visible.  
  
It wasn’t long before Ironwood was standing before them, looking at the carnage of his military and the shaken human division.  
“Did you need to…?” He questioned them.  
Oscar huffed. “I wasn’t about to wait for them to blow my head off!” He argued heatedly.  
Ironwood stared at him incomprehensively, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the boy, he then looked over to Penny who saluted him, alongside a poke of her tongue playfully, making him sigh.  
“If you are quite done making a show of my military you are free to leave. The council has been made aware of the CCT tower in Beacon being built, and have been in contact with Ozpin,” He eyed Oscar. “And I’m sure I don’t wish to know how or why of your involvement.” He added.  
  
Oscar grinned. “Well, you could ask, but you wouldn’t like the answer!” He cajoled.  
Ironwood blinked, then sighed again. “Get out of here before I write you up.” Ironwood answered.  
They bolted for it, knowing the man would make good on his promise, but Penny was glared at to make her stay behind.  
  
Rounding a corner, Ruby twirled around and looked at her teammates, in turn, to assess if any of them needed medical attention. If anything, they all looked fine, thanks to Jaune, if a little exhausted.  
Taking that into account she looked towards Weiss. “Are you sure you want to do this?” She asked.  
Weiss squared her shoulders, nodded, and hauntingly stalked towards the Schnee Mansion.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
The guards of the Schnee mansion knew a Schnee a mile away.  
While Weiss didn’t technically call herself one, from the days her elder had told her version of advents, these men didn’t exactly know that, yet.  
So, they stood to attention and let her in the front gate with no worries.  
There was also no staff about to stop her either. It made Weiss briefly wonder where they were, and where her brother was.  
They were looking at Weiss in confusion when she stopped at one nondescript door amongst all the doors she had stalked past. They also noted Qrow had made himself scarce at the same time. Ruby noted that Oscar had that look of thinly veiled disdain she hadn’t seen since he first interacted with Leonardo, making her understand and back away from the door a little understanding what Weiss was about to do, her backing up brought the rest of her peers with her uncertainly.  
  
Those who weren’t so knowledgeable jumped when Weiss pointed to the door and a glyph faded into existence around the door handle, even more so when she kicked the door in, nearly off its hinges.  
She walked into the study without a word, her back straight and her weapon held in plain view, the rest walked behind her, silent but with an air of subtle intimidation and fully ready to back her up.  
Weiss’ only concern was how many would likely put a bullet through her father’s now extremely surprised head.  
  
By the time it took Jacques to stand up, the group was already in his study, most of them still had their weapons drawn.  
“Hello, Father.” Weiss started, as cold as her name would suggest.  
“Weiss!” Her father near shouted, completely missing the crow landing near the windows above his library wall. “Do you have any manners?!” He shouted angrily, glaring at them all.  
Weiss controlled rolling her eyes. “More than you, I would assume.” Weiss said.  
Jacques stared at her as if she had just bitch slapped him.  
“Excuse me?” He asked dangerously.  
  
Weiss eyed her peers, and noting out of them all, she should probably watch Ruby the most, who seemed to have the most trouble with Oscar, who had gone from being amenable to downright hostile between when she had talked to him last to now.  
She could guess one wrong move on her father’s part, or her telling Ruby to let his arm go, the boy would explode.  
  
“You should be getting word soon that the wall has been brought down, and the CCT Tower is back online.” Weiss steamrolled into saying, not exactly wanting to stay in her father’s presence more then she had to.  
She let him round the desk, and stand in front of it, Jacques had that disapproving face he had always sported whenever she spoke to him.  
It looked even worse now.  
“So, you can assume we’re here under Beacon’s orders.” Weiss told him.  
Metaphorical clouds stormed onto the Hierarch’s face, clouding his expression with anger as if he had just figured something out. “I heard about the _mess_ outside, just how many saw you were at the forefront? Destroying the army of your own home?!” He strode forward and raised his hand at her. “How much betrayal have you wrought this family!?” He demanded.  
  
Before even Weiss could comprehend even his words, no less he was going to strike her: the room erupted into many clicks of weapons transforming, and the books on the shelves went careening into the air, the chessboard pieces lifted off their squares and twisted around themselves grotesquely, the glassware on the bar shattered, their shards flying, the chandelier shook violently. Jacques felt himself become frozen in place. A crow had squawked as it took flight from where he had landed to observe when he felt the entire structure _quake_ as if the room was an epicentre of an earthquake.  
  
Weiss could comprehend several of her peers if not just _Oscar_ alone had reacted severely to her father’s verbal and nonverbal abuse. She looked back to her peers, RWBY had their weapons out and loaded, looking dangerously at Jacques, while JNPR: Jaune had his hand dangerously on the pommel of his sword, needing only a minute to take the weapon out, Ren also had his hands on his weapons, probably far sooner than everyone else, Nora looked visibly charged with how much anger she had channelled, and Pyrrha looked as if she was the one keeping the walls intact from the violent shakes she couldn’t stop.  
  
Oscar, on the other hand, looked far more deadlier then she had ever seen him look, one hand he had outstretched in Jacques direction, the other had Silvis unfurled.  
“Don’t you _dare_.” Oscar seethed, seconds away from lifting the man off the ground. He said a full sentence in the language he liked to curse in, but the words had such hatred and spite, they all felt their skins crawl with its message. “If anyone has brought shame upon the Schnee family name it would be you and _you alone_. I don’t need to ask where Jenara is, nor do I need to ask about your labour hire.” The boy hissed, seeing the man become silent, he let the room go and felt Pyrrha stop fighting him as well. “So, here’s the deal, you’re to listen to Miss Weiss here, and you will _shut up while she does it_.” He ordered.  
  
Weiss cleared her throat to get her father’s attention, seeing the glance Oscar gave her.  
“To be franker, we’ve been sent here to get the dust embargo lifted, now I’m sure that won’t be much of a hassle since you are probably being damaged financially from such an embargo to start with.” Weiss continued as if Oscar hadn’t threatened the collapse of the room in on her father.  
Jacques stared at her starkly. “Are you threatening me?” He asked, his tone wasn’t as dangerous as before, but it was still there.  
Oscar was the one to snort. “Did the fact I nearly collapsed the ceiling in on you not enough for you, or would you like me to point my gun at you?” He hissed. “I told you to shut up, next time I’ll throw you out the window.” He threatened, seeing as the man hadn’t backed down off his hierarchal throne.  
  
A raw flash of understanding flushed past Jacques face, an understanding that he had almost died where he stood soon dawned on him.  
Seeing the flash of understanding Weiss continued. “I understand that the embargo would hurt your company financially, would you have trouble releasing the embargo to the other kingdoms?” Weiss questioned.  
Jacques shook his head but gave a small look to Oscar before looking back to Weiss. “It will take time to resume at full capacity, reopening gates and sales and trade links.” He told her finally.  
“How long are we talking here?” Ruby asked, coming up to Weiss, storing Crescent Rose away as she did.  
They watched as understanding crossed his eyes at seeing Ruby as if he could suddenly remember where he could recall her and Oscar from. “As long as the council makes it.” Jacques said stiffly.  
  
Ruby eyed the crow who ruffled his feathers from just out of Jacque’s vision, and she gave him a quick glare having no idea what her uncle was meaning.  
Weiss was already nodding. “Alright. That’s fine, we’ll give you a few days, then if you don’t contact us, we’ll come back. All of us.” Weiss thinly threatened.  
Jacques immediately looked to Oscar who was still glaring. “I will tell you my results of the council’s decision as well as when I’m able to get a hearing as soon as I can contact them.” Jacques told her.  
Weiss took out her Scroll. “It’s the same number.” She told him and stalked out the room.  
Oscar eyed him as the rest filed out, Ruby waiting for him at the door, holding it open for Qrow to fly out. “I’m sure you can manage the bill.” He told him, quite happily, then left the man alone.  
  
They were all in the hallway when Oscar swore.  
“Damn I wanted to throw him out the window.” He said he was the only one who hadn’t stored his weapon away.  
Ruby was the one to giggle. “Not that I doubt you could, you would probably regret it later.” She told him.  
Oscar blinked at her then groaned. “Yeah. I would.” He admitted painfully.  
Qrow suddenly appeared and whacked Oscar over the head. “Kid, next time don’t cause an earthquake, okay? Makes for a horrible mission statement I need to gloss over.” Qrow told him.  
Oscar blinked, then suddenly looked worried. “Did I hurt their grades?” He asked, worry in his tone.  
Qrow shook his head. “No, but I found out giving you a gun was a really bad idea.” He muttered in disdain and ignored the glare Oscar gave him in response and the boy’s mutterings about it not being his idea, to begin with.  
  
./.  
  
Most of the staff made themselves scarce when they saw the group in whichever hallway they were stalking down towards the exit.  
By that time, they had all been alerted to their presence and probably told to not stop them and Qrow had made himself scarce again.  
That didn’t exactly stop a teenaged boy from being in their way just before the main doors. Seeing him, Weiss actually groaned.  
Oscar turned to him. “You’re sure I can’t throw Whitley out the window?” Oscar asked hopefully.  
Weiss looked at him. “You really want to throw someone, huh?” She asked.  
Oscar shrugged. “Might as well either be Jacques or your brother, Miss Weiss.” He told her.  
She stared before smiling. “We’ll see if you need to, you’re more than welcome to move him out the way so we don’t need to talk to him.” Weiss told him happily.  
  
The group fanned out in the foyer when Whitley didn’t exactly move out the way.  
“Hello, Whitley.” Weiss greeted with disdain and boredom.  
“Dear sister!” Whitley greeted faux happiness, noticing that most of Weiss’ peers stared at him incomprehensively. “I thought I heard your delicate voice shouting, where have you been wandering all these years we’ve not seen you?” He questioned.  
While Weiss wasn’t exactly tall, her brother was taller than her and several had an urge to punch the smirk he had off his face.  
“I’ve been at Beacon, being a Huntress.” Weiss told him as if she was repeating herself.  
Whitley sided his head. “Ah yes, your differing opinion on our need for a military.” He drawled, as if flippant. “Was there such a need to reduce ours?” He asked, his eyes sweeping over the group, interest sparking in his eyes as he landed on Ruby.  
“Yes, since we needed to reopen the CCT tower and they wouldn’t allow us.” Weiss told him.  
  
Ruby was now frowning when Whitley hadn’t taken his eyes from her. She got increasingly more uncomfortable when she could see downright hunger flash into his eyes.  
She felt her skin crawl a little, and she unknowingly retreated to Oscar’s side as if she needed a shield from the Schnee boy.  
Oscar had immediately reacted at the same time Ruby felt the need to move and made a show of stepping in front of his girlfriend.  
“Do you need something?” He asked, danger in his tone when he felt Ruby grasp his shirt.  
Whitley held up his hands flippant and without much care. “That, I’m sure, can be settled if she ever tired of you, my friend.” He said.    
  
Ruby felt rage rushing into her ears, she didn’t even hear the many gasps of offended-outrage from her peers and family.  
It drowned out her previous uneasy feeling, and she just reacted, exploding physically and metaphorically from Oscar’s side, and was suddenly keening her fist into Whitley’s face.  
“Excuse you!” She yelled, offended and in rage.  
Whitely went flying.  
“As if you could win!” She was still yelling before the boy even landed.  
She didn’t even feel victorious over the fact she had drawn blood and possibly broken his nose.  
“And for the record,” She started, standing over him, and he stared up at her. “You couldn’t.” She seethed, before stalking back over to a pleasantly surprised Oscar, before she reached him she reached out to grasp his chin to pull him up to her height, and very publicly outrightly kissed him.  
  
Oscar gave out a surprised yet slightly muffled vocalisation at her but responded happily and ignored his many peers and Yang hooting and wolf calling.  
Weiss looked outwards, ignoring her brother laid out on the floor where he sat up pawing his bloody nose.  
“Klein!” She called.  
A man came out of the shadows and bowed as much as he could. “Madam!” He called.  
“Take care of Whitley, could you? He’s chasing skirts again.” Weiss sighed, noting Yang had walked forward and curiously watched as Yang perched down low next to the bloodied boy.  
“Learn your lessons and don’t go after taken parties.” She said, her tone dangerous.  
Whitley had just stared at her incomprehensively.  
Yang stood up and took in Ruby who had her nose to nose with Oscar, no longer kissing, but somewhere in their own world. “Oi! Lovebirds! Can we leave? I hate this place.” She yelled.  
Ruby gave a blink and looked to her sister. “Sure!” She called, the raced around everyone, including an indignant crow and got out the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruby did break Whitley's nose. It was either that or Oscar throwing the boy out the window.
> 
> If I was anymore subtle, I'd call Oscar and Ruby lovebirds. But I am not that subtle. Have fun!
> 
> I hope all the links incorporated into this chapter work, and if they break, please tell me and I'll fix them, especially the morse code translation. That one is a tad important. 
> 
> Anyone who doesn't need the translation to guess earns a cookie, those who review get many more cookies.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby decides to make a bird. Don't question me. (Totally question it). Everyone in the Atlas Military is afraid of them. Ruby starts to steal Oscar's clothes. Oscar wants to take Ruby on a date. (That's it that's the entire chapter). Feat with cookies, snow-filled fun, getting lost and me not giving a damn about foreshadowing and symbolism.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I am totally not apologising for an entire chapter, ten pages of basically what boils down to a rosegarden date.
> 
> I think I needed this to help chase the nightmares away from this episode. Thanks, RT. Like I needed any more nightmare fuel from this series rofl.

_“It’s not a secret I try to hide. So, don’t keep saying our hands are tied. But fate is pulling you miles away, and out of reach from me. But you’re here in my heart, so who can stop me if I decide that you’re my destiny? What if we rewrite the stars? Nothing could keep us apart. You’d be the one I was meant to find. It’s up to you and it’s up to me.” “Because we’re able to be just you and me within these walls. You’re gonna wake up and see that it was hopeless after all! It’s not a secret I try to hide, but my hands are tied.”  
— [Zac Efron & Zendaya](https://youtu.be/RI-HOQ27QEM)  
_

_Other Music:  
[Piano Guys Version](https://youtu.be/5cINJwaAn4Y) — Rewrite the Stars  
[Seycara Orchestra & Yuang Cheng](https://youtu.be/ViAVpKaDG2A) — Dreams of the Future_

Chapter 6

  
During the days between the calls and messages Weiss got from her father about the embargo mess he made for himself by putting it into effect in the first place, Qrow was able to sleep seeing as he didn’t need to grade RWBY and JNPR, but it also meant the two groups had nothing to do, and a bored Ruby and Nora wasn’t exactly a good thing for their partners, their home or the general public and Grimm force.  
It meant that they had a roster system put into place as they had in Haven just so they wouldn’t get bored or complacent.  
And they always seemed to run out of milk and tissues.  
  
Oscar chose not to question when Ruby brought a pile of scrap metal into their room and seemed to find hours slip away as she worked with the help of her Scroll, and the occasional help from Penny via said Scroll.  
Oscar just knew those hours he didn’t need to worry about the house on her side of things, and only needed to worry about why Nora was so quiet. Most times he was just happy to sleep next to Ruby and not worry about anything.  
The day after everything was settled with Ironwood they got the standard congratulations email from Ozpin and to ask for assistance during their stay until they could leave if they needed it, thanks to the CCT Tower becoming operational again.  
During the times they accidentally came across the patrolling military, they witnessed the AI turn tail and run that Penny was the only one to laugh at.  
  
Everyone, especially Weiss alongside Ruby and Oscar loathed to return to the Schnee mansion, should they need to. Ever.  
Oscar watched as Ruby worked on her metal, getting better each hour she worked, and she seemed to be creating what looked like a bird, with its many feathers intertwined with the previous tips to make the wings and tail. While the bird looked docile in a way only worked metal could, Oscar had a strange feeling it was also a gun. Somehow.  
Oscar somehow also ended up with it in his possession. “It’s for you.” Ruby was able to shyly say before fleeing from his side for an hour in embarrassment. That didn’t stop Oscar from putting it on the bedside and admiring her handiwork whenever he saw it.  
  
Oscar also wisely choose to not question how Ruby ran out of clothes one day.  
“I’m stealing your shirt!” She yelled through the door when he was showering.  
He never questioned the fact he never got it back either, nor the summersaults his stomach did each time she wore his shirt to bed.  
He doubted she wanted to know about that, alongside the feelings he got when he saw her without her cloak, or with her hair clips in.  
Gods forbid if she ever found out, or she wears the hairclips with his shirt.  
He doubted he would survive her attempts to give him heart attacks or his attempts to see how long he could not breathe.  
  
./.  
  
Oscar knew that when it came to a day they had off, he knew exactly where he could take Ruby to.  
Though he wasn’t sure how well it would turn out, he wasn’t about to mind since it got them out of the house for a little while.  
“Ruby!” Oscar yelled, having not found her where she usually was. Ruby popped her hear out of Yang’s bedroom. Oscar blinked at her. “Uh…” He voiced a little uncertain, since last time this scenario happened he wasn’t sure of how to deal with it.  
He still wasn’t.  
   
“Oscar!” Ruby chirped cheerfully, looking back into the room. “You okay?” She questioned.  
Oscar heard no answer, but Ruby skipped towards him. “Hi!” She said.  
He sided his head. “…Are you busy?” He questioned.  
“Nope! Yang needed something before she headed out, but she’s good now!” Ruby insisted.  
“Alright then…” Oscar said a little uncertain, but she nodded. “If you say so. I have a place that I know of if you’re up for a walk.” Oscar told her.  
Ruby immediately lit up, then burst into petals. “I’ll get my cloak!” She yelled.  
“You won’t need your scythe!” He yelled in response.  
“‘Kay!” She yelled back from upstairs that made him chuckle fondly as he went over to the closet to find his coat.  
  
Ruby bounded up to him in excitement written all over her face, that Oscar just found himself staring at her for a moment before he kicked himself into acting and reaching over to grasp her hood and yanking it over her head.  
Ruby snorted. “Oscar!” She giggled.  
He couldn’t very well tell her to stop being cute. He’d never hear the end of it.  
  
Ruby lifted up her hood to see Oscar looking at her fondly.  
“So, where’re we going?” She asked.  
Oscar sided his head. “I can’t keep it a secret?” He questioned.  
Ruby blinked at her butterflies decided to return. “Um. Yes?” She questioned, not exactly sure what the correct response was.  
But she gathered it was the right one when he lit up amazingly, gripped her hand and ran.  
She could deal with that.  
  
During the time they had, between all the patrols and flyovers Ruby had done. Atlas and everything inside its walls seemed to be situated in a circle that met what looked like parkland in the middle from overhead. It seemed like the only place the military kept out of, keeping to its entrances, exits and patrolling its fenced perimeter. Ruby had often wondered what the forest was hiding under its protective snow-covered leaves.  
  
Oscar really did feel like he could trip over with how nervous he felt about her reaction in general.  
He felt himself stall when she whirled around once she figured out where they were heading to.  
“We’re going in?!” She nearly squealed in delight.  
Oscar burst out laughing at her reaction, and at how his reaction wasn’t really warranted. She hadn’t let go of his arm, but she had a bounce in her step that usually told him she was itching to bound everywhere in excitement, and her smile hadn’t dimmed if anything it had grown in size and brightness.  
  
The two rounded a corner towards the entrance and Oscar stopped predictably knowing Ruby would stall in amazement.  
In front of them was the entrance into the park: its nearby trees and over-the-pathway-archway, all covered in fairy lights that sparkled in the gentle snowfall. There was some type of soft instrumental music coming from within the park and there seemed only a few people here and there enjoying the oncoming sunset and night. No tree, stand, pathway or lamppost was without snow or gentle fairy lights.  
  
Atlas’ park was made up in a shape of a five-point star: from its many entrances and exits, their formed pathways led straight into the centre around an always frozen lake, its laneways lined with snow-capped trees bearing fairy lights. Dotted along its lanes were a variety of stores selling civilian wares and produce.  
They found the source of the music just inside the entrance they came through: a team of paired cellos and violinists, on a step-up stage underneath the protection of giant trees. Many civilians had gathered around to listen or to take advantage of the lit fires dotted around.  
Ruby would go from latching onto Oscar’s arm, awed at her surroundings, to in a second flat, dragging Oscar to the next store to see what it was selling. Vendors were selling handmade knickknacks made from metal, wood and fibres to selling hot food and drink to help ward off the chill of the oncoming nightfall.  
  
Ruby was giggling by the time they had settled on hot chocolate when Oscar spotted something.  
“Here!” He started, grasping her free hand, and took her to the next stall only to watch her mouth drop and her eyes go wide.  
The vendor was selling on-demand pancakes with a selection of food that included fruit and chocolate.  
“I might cry.” Ruby said in stall.  
Oscar chuckled at her warmly, gave his hot chocolate to her. “Here. Go sit on the bench, I’ll be a sec.” He told her, pointing to the table and bench nearby. Ruby eyed it and nodded, before wandering over as Oscar looked back to the menu.  
He grinned when he saw exactly what he would like.  
Bounding up to the vendor. “Pancakes with chocolate and strawberries to share!” He asked, ear to ear grinning.  
Oscar happily paid the man, and gleefully watched the pancake being made with an extraordinary amount of strawberries being put on top, with chocolate chips, with both as sauces drizzled over the top of a large number of stacked pancakes topped off with two little forks.  
“Thanks!” Oscar said once it was handed over to him, and he made his way over to a still star-awed Ruby. Her reaction was going to be epic, and he wasn’t going to miss it.  
  
Oscar sat on the other side of the bench, hearing him, Ruby turned to speak but stalled seeing the pancakes in front of her. Oscar laughed when she started to drool.  
He handed a fork over to her. “You can eat it, you know.” He laughed.  
Ruby gave him a sparse glare before she separated the treat equally for them to share as the sunset around them: its rays glinting over the snowfall, the fairy lights and the fires.  
  
As the sun set, little lamplights lit up at the lanes edges to guide civilians around in the waning light towards the middle park.  
“There’s a surprise at the middle of the park.” Oscar told her as they walked towards the centre.  
Ruby bounded, tugging slightly at his arm. “Oh? Are you gonna tell me, or is it another surprise?” She questioned.  
Oscar chuckled at her as he regarded her fondly. “It’s probably one of the most amazing sights that Atlas has.” He told her.  
Ruby stared at him. “And _this_ isn’t?” She questioned, gesturing around them.  
“It’s a close second, I agree.” He added happily.  
“Now I gotta see it!” Ruby said, taking his hand, and picking up the pace a little.  
“It’s not going anywhere, Ruby!” He told her.  
“Yes, but the sun is!” Ruby urged.  
Oscar really didn’t stand a chance, nor did he want to, and let her run with him alongside.  
  
With the sun setting there were fewer people around, with most people leaving the park and laneways in favour of being home before the darkness set in. But with Ruby’s ability to get home in a second flat, they were less worried about the sun setting as the civilians were.  
Emerging from the laneway, they all joined together in a roundabout way around what looked like a frozen lake in the middle with poles dotted around the lake with fairy lights draped between them to bring light to the area, dotted around the park were little fires that had only recently been abandoned by the civilians.  
  
On the frozen lake there seemed to be people skating about on its fenced-in surface, with a little pavilion to the side where its entrance and exit was situated.  
Oscar paused to watch Ruby, her face awed and bright, turned to him, fire glinting in her eyes from the nearby fire softly. “Can we…?” She asked, rather softly.  
Oscar regarded her softly. “Sure. Can you skate?” He asked curiously.  
Ruby shook her head. “No, but I’ve always wanted to try.” She said truthfully.  
“Alright then, that makes two!” He told her making her giggle.  
  
At the pavilion, there were skates to be rented out for a limited hour. By now Ruby could see why they would not have been allowed their weapons, regardless of the space they took up.  
Oscar stood up and wobbled a little on the skate tips.  
He eyed her warily. “I warn you, I may trip!” He told her, holding up his arm to her to help her up.  
Ruby just laughed as she got up with his help. “I promise not to laugh, as long as you don’t laugh when I trip!” She said.  
Oscar shook her hand. “Deal!” He said happily.  
  
They may have made a deal, but they laughed anyway.  
Oscar went head-first into the lake first with an indignant yelp five minutes in, once Ruby was sure he was fine, marked by the many curses he spat out did she laugh.  
Ruby found her speed to be of no good on the ice, seeing it was more of a hindrance than a help which caused her to land flat on her butt and slide away from Oscar, who was now laughing.  
Ruby crossed her arms in a pout. “Alright, alright, hold on.” Oscar chuckled fondly, before skating over to her carefully to hold his hand out to her.  
  
Whether it was the way he had always regarded her, laughed at her good-naturedly, or how he made his way over to her risking another face-plant into ice made her stall in another sudden realisation.  
This boy cared for her. A _lot_.  
Would move mountains and climb to the stars themselves for her if she asked for one.  
How she rolled that lucky dice that amounted up to him, she would never know, but the universe seemed to like to remind her every time it looked like she forgot.  
She must have zoned out by the way his curious face was titled a little in fond confusion at her for not getting up sooner.  
“Are you alright?” He asked as soon as she took his hand and he yanked her up carefully off the ice. Ruby fumbled a little and ended up not by accident leaning into him and wrapping her arms around his waist.  
“Hm…” She voiced nuzzling into him. “I’m glad you’re here with me.” She muttered a little too loudly, causing him to hear.  
Ruby felt him nuzzling into her hair. “Where else would I be?” He genuinely questioned, confused by her. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.” He added, closing his arms around her, holding her close.  
Ruby blinked away awed tears, and nuzzled into him a little more, and tightened her grip on him. “Hmm. Same.” She muttered.  
Oscar regarded her softly. “Don’t think for one second I doubted it, not just no one would wander the wilderness for a year.” He told her, kissing her hair. “I’m glad that you did. And I’m glad we’re here. Together is a good word, regardless of everything else.” He continued.  
She looked up to him, seeing the stars coming out as the sun set behind the tree line, and before he could ask her anything else, she pivoted forward and kissed him warmly.  
  
Oscar reacted to her immediately by moving one of his hands to cup her cheek, keeping one hand at her waist, Ruby reacted to his move by clinging to the front of his coat.  
Breaking apart, their breath mingling in puffs of whitened air, Oscar gazed at her curiously, and she gave a small shy-like giggle for her boldness. Oscar moved in to nuzzle her nose with his and noted the small shiver she gave from the cold setting in and the whistle that went up for their hour.  
“As much as I love this, we should probably get off the ice.” He muttered breathlessly.  
“Uh-huh…” She responded airily, leaning out of their embrace to hold his hand and carefully making their way back to give their skates in.  
  
Their hour up made them realise the lake was now off-limits, with its vendor closing up shop with no one else around, and the sun setting behind the tree line.  
Ruby giggled and bounded over to the nearest fire to warm up from their venture on the ice.  
Oscar watched her go in a daze, thanking whatever star, god, whoever he needed to thank she did risk her life to find him, that with everything that could have pulled them apart, she defied them and was still willing to stand next to him.  
Ruby looked around and saw him and raised her arm to wave. “Oscar! Here!” She called.  
And he was helpless to follow.  
  
Shoulder to shoulder they held their hands towards the flames.  
“Can you see the stars from here?” Ruby was asking.  
Oscar looked to her to see her looking heaven bound, seeing so, he looked up.  
“Not from here, maybe the trees hide them tonight. We should be able to see them outside the park, though.” Oscar told her, pointing in a direction he knew the stars would be. “But maybe not tonight,” He added, seeing the snow clouds in that area.  
Ruby pouted, making him laugh.  
Oscar regarded her. “Shall we continue on our way?” He questioned.  
Ruby looked to him, smiled and nodded. “Sure!” She said.  
  
They took their time leaving since the vendors were still out for the waning public that was dotted around the fires nearby. Oscar’s attention was taken away when he heard children giggling and laughter.  
He found them soon enough in a sparse area of tree where they had more snow in the area because of the limited trees.  
An idea formed, he re-grasped Ruby’s hand. “Here!” He called and dragged her along.  
“Oscar!” Ruby called, giggling, but keeping up nonetheless.    
  
They soon found themselves off the laneway and into the clearing.  
“Here!” He gestured to the clearing, with his arms grandly.  
Ruby laughed. “Sure!” She said, and immediately dropped to the ground to gather snow up, ideas already forming what she could make alongside Oscar, who moved off a little to give her space to gather snow to form something, Oscar to gathered up snow to make something, noting how much snow they had between them and the children to make sure they weren’t taking any from the children’s fun.  
  
They found themselves rather clumsy at making anything resemble life-like or known object since they weren’t always constantly surrounded by snow like the children that surrounded them were, but they laughed at each other nonetheless. They could handle the small shapes like stars and other shapes, and oddly looking snow people.  
Ruby stalled when she suddenly had an idea hearing the Atlas birds singing up in the trees. “Here, no, I’ve got an idea.” She suddenly said, crushing the snow she had in her palm.  
Oscar looked at her, from his rather slouched looking snowman. “Yeah?” He asked curiously.  
“I need your help. Help me make a base.” She asked.  
Oscar shrugged and made his way over to her, bringing gathered up snow as he did.  
  
The base was formed from repeated snow clumping and beatings then Ruby moved upwards, Oscar following along with her moves to make what looked like a tower that they kneeled on the knees to mould.  
Oscar could gather what she was going for when she started to make the starting of a basin at the top of the tower.  
There were many attempts and failings at making the basin curve, but Oscar saw Ruby’s determination and kept trying with her to clump to snow together into a slightly dense curve.  
The basin was nearly done by the time the children’s parents were calling for their kids to go home.  
  
Ruby worked on packing the snow upwards the finish the basin off as the last child left.  
“Hm… Hold on.” Oscar said, then wandered over to the nearest tree to gather a tree branch small enough and straight enough, returning he handed it over to Ruby, who grinned in gratitude, before she smashed the branch into the basin’s edges horizontally to make a landing, then clumped snow around it to keep it in place.  
By then the walls of the basin were complete and looked like a bird bath in real life.  
“Woohoo!” Ruby celebrated seeing that she could actually make something.  
Oscar chuckled. “Should we make a snowbird to call it home?” He questioned.  
Ruby grinned at him. “Or two!” She said.  
The two ended up back on their knees gathering snow to clump together to for bases for bird-like structures.  
  
Oscar’s bird was a little bigger in height to Ruby’s chubby one.  
Ruby grinned as she delicately set hers against the wood, making sure it didn’t fall apart as she set it on the wood, seeing it stay, she gathered up Oscar’s and sat his next to hers.  
Ruby looked to see Oscar’s thoughtful expression.  
“Hang on.” He said, then dropped back down to the snow.  
Seeing he was making another bird, Ruby grinned and dropped to make another.  
Oscar reared up on the basin the put another bird on the rim, this bird had its wings out as if caught going mid-flight. While Ruby’s other two were put on the base of the structure.  
  
“Okay. _Now_ we’re done.” Oscar said celebratory.  
Ruby grinned and nodded. “Yep!” She said happily, standing back to appreciate their handiwork proudly. As she was standing back, she felt around in her pockets, and come up blind. “…Do you have my Scroll?” She questioned.  
Oscar blinked but nodded. “You left it on the side table.” He said as he tossed hers.  
She caught it nimbly, grinned in thanks before she took a photo to keep.  
Oscar felt a shiver crawl up his spine. “Let’s go find a spare fire.” He said as he took her Scroll back and pocketed it for safer keeping then her own pockets.  
Ruby grinned, kissed his cheek then bounded out of the clearing, in the direction of the nearest fire.  
  
There weren’t many civilians left once the sun went behind the trees, making the fairy lights further sparkle in-between the leaves of the trees as the snow fell gently.  
Ruby pointed to a nearby fire, grasped Oscar’s hand and ran over to it.  
Oscar took notice of where they were, finally back on the path, and nearby vendors, cocking his head curiously at them, he looked back to Ruby who had her hands out to the fire to warm them up. “I’ll be back in a sec.” He told her.  
Ruby looked up and nodded before going back to staring at the fire hypnotically.  
Oscar grinned at her, before making his way over to the vendor to see what they were selling.  
The vendor actually looked amazed to see someone out, so he stalled in packing away his wares.  
  
Oscar must have lit up like the lights around him when he saw the vendor was selling sweets of the cookie kind. “You wouldn’t happen to still be selling, would you?” Oscar questioned curiously, seeing he had stalled the man packing up. The man stared at him but shook his head furiously. “Good!” He started, finding his lien. “How many chocolate-chip cookies do you have left?” He asked as he counted how much money he had available to spend that wasn’t exactly dire.  
The vendor would end up selling out of that particular type of cookie, but Oscar doubted the man minded.  
  
While the cookies were nice, they weren’t exactly what Oscar had in mind when he first saw the stall. He had hoped it would have been selling clothes, so he went to the next one, eyeing Ruby to see if she had moved, which she hadn’t. The girl must have a fascination with open fire. The notion made itself a note in his head for him to sort out later if he could get wood that is.  
Seeing the turn wheel from the path outside the next stall, he noted the vendor, again pausing to pack up when he entered.  
“Are you still selling?” He questioned her.  
She nodded. “Only if you’re buying!” She told him.  
Oscar grinned. “You wouldn’t happen to have gloves, that would do for this weather, and can be gifted, would you?” He asked.  
Hearing him, the lady grinned. “Absolutely!” She said happily, all too gleeful to help Oscar and show what she had for him to purchase.  
  
The box paid and hidden, Oscar made his way back to Ruby, who looked to him and smiled in welcome.  
“Fire alright?” He asked.  
Ruby nodded.  
“I have something that’ll make it better.” Oscar told her.  
Ruby looked confused. “What’s that?” She questioned.  
Oscar pulled out the bakery bag, laughing when both of her arms shot skyward. “Cookies!” She yelled in delight further when he showed her the contents by pulling one out.  
“Told you it would be better!” Oscar told her happily as she nibbled away at one, nodding to him happily.  
Ruby suddenly stalled. “You got more than one, right?” She asked.  
Oscar laughed. “Of course!” He said.  
“Good, then we can share!” Ruby told him, pulling another cookie out and handing it to Oscar without complaint.  
  
./.  
  
They wandered into a different sector than the one they walked into, and Ruby raced over to the nearby street vendor for more hot chocolate, seeing as the weather dropped a few degrees, and she needed to keep her fingers warm.  
Oscar felt himself stall when she looked at him. “So, what does this part of the park have?” She questioned.  
He heard her, for sure, but responding seemed to take longer the more he looked at her.  
There wasn’t anything different about her, or her question, or even the way she phrased it.  
Maybe it was just her as a whole that made him stop in his tracks.  
Oscar mentally shook his head. “Ah, well, I could show you, since I don’t think you’d actually believe me it there with the fog settling in…” Oscar trailed off as he tried to restart his brain.  
Ruby grinned, unknowingly dashing Oscar’s hopes of a restart. “Sure!” She said happily unaware.  
  
With their hot chocolates finished, Oscar took Ruby’s hand and led her to where he was taking her, there would be a little sign, that most non-Atlas people missed unless they were looking for it.  
Stepping off the path, and a little ways around the trees, through the fog stretched out what looked like the starting of a hedge that towered over their faces.  
Oscar looked over to Ruby’s awed face and laughed. “There’s a way in.” He told her.  
Peering through the fog, there seemed to be an entrance that Ruby could make out, then turned to Oscar, grasped his hand excitedly, tugging and she stepped forward. “Let’s go!” She yelled.  
Oscar was quite alright to let her lead.  
  
Oscar could hear Ruby giggling a few steps in as the snow started to fall again around them, making him glad for their coats, and making sure Ruby had her hood up when she steps back in to take his hand.  
Ruby had one hand trailing the garden hedge around her, and her other in Oscar’s.  
They came to the first overpass, lined out with white snow-capped wood, its steps slated in travertine white stone. Ruby giggled and raced up them to oversee where they had come from, the snow glittering in the fairy lights they passed to the snow at their feet. Each string of light placed was in a flying motion to light up the area of the maze dully, with a fire lamp every now and again to keep the shadows from chasing the lights away.  
This far away from the entrances and exits of the park, they couldn’t hear any of the civilians playing music, making them the only two in the courtyard of twisting manicured hedge.  
  
They couldn’t see far, because of the fog and the light receding, but Oscar pointed outwards.  
“Over that way should be the viewing tower, and further behind it should also be the exit.” Oscar told her.  
Ruby turned to him, sly-faced. “Are you telling me you’re lost?” She asked.  
One of Oscar’s eyebrows rose. “I never said that. Only giving direction.” He told her, bopping her nose with a chuckle when she pouted. “But I would like to get home sometime soon.” He told her.  
Ruby laughed and pointed. “Onwards!” She said jubilantly.    
  
They found, quite by accident, when Ruby near tripped, a little break area, filled with fire lamps, at its borders, fairy lights around the smaller undercover steepled shelter, twinning up its white wooden structure, leaving the area underneath for guests to sit to admire the inwards hedge and the cherry-parfait roses growing around in singles and duos in the area.  
Seeing so, Ruby immediately forgot how she ended up being saved by Oscar and squealed out in amazement.  
“It’s so cute!” She squealed.  
Oscar blinked at her in amazement that she had gotten over the shook that quickly and was pointing to the roses as if she wanted one.  
“No, Ruby, we can’t take them home.” He warned, and nearly laughed when she crossed her arms and pouted at him.  
  
./.  
  
By the time they got to the next overpass, they were playfully tugging at each other and trying to one-up each other, giggling and laughing as they went underneath the watchful gaze of the fire lamp fires and fairy lights.  
This time, they didn’t end up stumbling into a rest area because either of them tripped.  
The rest area caught Ruby a little of guard when she thought she was lost or had gone in a circle when she noticed the flowers were different, these were blue, and not the duo red and white from the previous rest area had.  
  
“Ah, good!” Oscar was saying and pulling her attention to him. “I sometimes can’t find this one, but I found it!” Oscar told her. “I like the flowers.” He told her, coming over to the single bloom by the rest shelter.  
She followed him mutely, taken by his soft expression.  
Oscar looked at her again. “They kinda remind me of fire, which still burns even when its cold.” He said, a little shyly now that he admitted it.  
Ruby nodded to that. “They all must be, to live in the snow.” She added.  
“I think all roses can weather any storms.” Oscar told her, holding out his hand to help her up in case she slipped on the steps.  
Ruby looked to him, not knowing how but knowing he wasn’t talking about horticulture anymore. There was that look in his eye again as he sat down.  
  
Ruby sat down next to him gently.  
“Well, sure, just as long as the woods around it support them and hold fast against storms.” Ruby told him, looking to him, making sure to catch his eye. “Can they?” She asked softly.  
Oscar gave out a laugh. “For as long as the forest has something to protect.” He told her.  
Ruby grinned, as she rocked a little to an internal tune, looking back out towards the Blue-Fire rose she could see from where they sat. “Always and forever then.” She promised.  
Oscar glanced at her silently before looking back towards the flowers he could see that were perhaps now his second in preference.  
Maybe only a little from the Red Rose beside him.  
  
By the third overpass. Oscar had stopped dead.  
“I…have no idea where we are anymore.” He told her.  
Ruby laughed. “I thought we were lost!” She said happily.  
Oscar eyed her. “And you’re rather happy about this.” He retorted.  
Ruby giggled. “Do you know which way the tower is?” She asked.  
Oscar gave a second before looking around but pointed back in the direction they came from. “That way, I think.” Oscar told her. Ruby laughed before she exploded into her semblance. “That’s cheating—!” Oscar was yelling before she raced around to gather him up.  
Oscar could only hear her laughing at him happily.  
  
Ruby, via “cheating”, found the steepled white marbled viewing tower in under five minutes. She cheated further by racing up the wrap around staircase to drop herself and a now pouting Oscar at the viewing platform.  
Ruby giggled at Oscar’s expression.  
The viewing platform was half under the steepled shelter, and half out in the open, with support beams on the open side going from the ground up a foot or more above their heads. Both beams seemed to be acting as a way for a creeping vine to wrap around and find new height, alongside a creeping single bloom of a Sterling Silver rose that was trying to make its way up to the nearing lit up stars above them, even if it towered over the hedge and all of its resting shelters.  
Ruby was staring out as she watched the suns last rays before it set completely.  
  
“It’s pretty…” Ruby muttered seeing the starting of the sky’s light show she had been fascinated with since Weiss first told stories of Atlas back at Beacon.  
Ruby heard Oscar agree with her, but looking to him, he wasn’t remotely interested in the sunset or noticed the aurora above them starting to shine. “Oscar, you’re not looking.” She frowned, pointing outwards.  
Oscar hadn’t taken his eyes from her. “I _am_ looking at what is.” He told her.  
Ruby frowned marred her face in confusion. “You don’t find—?” Before she could finish Oscar took her chin and drove forward to kiss her, making her forget what her question even was in the first place.  
  
Oscar leaned out to nuzzle his nose against hers and settle his forehead against hers. “Never as much with you around, _amica mea_.” He told her softly, calling her something in that language of his.  
“What does…?” She questioned.  
Oscar nuzzled his nose against hers again. “When you’re ready.” He promised.  
“Promise?” She asked.  
Oscar scrunched his nose up at her reaction. “Only you.” He promised, leaving the stars as their silent witness to their smiles as they enjoyed the calm each other brought to their lives like none they had ever known before.  
Always and forever was a promise they were both determined to keep.  
_Together_ , was always a good word.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar frets over asking Ruby out and finally gets around to asking her. Ruby has less fretting about it. Oscar creates a fire that freaks everyone out and goes back to bed. Qrow accepts the fact that the world would likely end if Oscar was ever without Ruby and vice versa. Oscar finally gets around to giving his present to Ruby. Winter is coming with snowball fights and cracked heads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slams open door* HAS ANYONE SEEN MY SON?! HE'S BEEN MISSING FOR LIKE 2 WEEKS! That "I'm at soup" conversation comes back at times like this. I also didn't ask for the feels RT. I want a refund. Also maybe the Forever Fall song. In Full. Maybe. And the glomp.
> 
> Anyways, I apologise for the extended leave, but school and Christmas happened, a few days of 40C straight happened, and because of this I wasn't in any fit state to put my computer on! But have this chapter, and sorry again if I've gotten any winter conceptions wrong, it doesn't snow here, I just melt. But it's not like the group in Argus are wearing coats? I mean it's snowing in that god damn park Jaune! YOUR HOODIE SHOULDN'T BE ENOUGH TO KEEP YOU WARM!
> 
> I'm glad I got the boots right, and the belts, and the gloves. Making another plushie is gonna be interesting because now they both use copious amounts of different shades of red. And ugh. XD

_When you were young you used to dream about fires and scream into the night, to find me standing barefoot at your side. I used to whisper, “it will be alright,”, and lay down at your side and take your tiny hands into mine. Oh, I hope you know that you’re my home. I keep imagining the light that showed you barefoot in the snow and then the fire started building up inside. Exploding blinding lights. Now I’m the one left screaming through the night. I’m gonna carry you home, and oh, I’m gonna write it in stone: That you were my home. My home. Forget about it, forget about it… How was I to know that you were my home? But now I’m lost. So lost…  
— [Brighton](https://youtu.be/qBqzXYcSdns)  
_

_Other Music:  
Hello Sleepwalkers — Midnight Meet-up ([English cover ver](https://youtu.be/bXKlEir-CIo?t=4))  
[Rush Garcia](https://youtu.be/kPjwpFpW0dc?t=9) — A Stray God_

Chapter 7

  
By the time the street lamps were fully lit, Ruby was racing across the sky, homeward bound, once the sunset the outside world became a little too cold and a little too dark for Ruby’s liking.   
She hated the feeling of being out after dark, especially when she didn’t have her scythe with her, being in the centre of Atlas regardless.   
  
While Ruby raced home, the sky lit up above her fully in the aurora of the night sky, its light coming out to play once the sun set fully. Ruby didn’t want to spare a second to admire it knowing she’d get stuck watching it, there was plenty of times to admire it once she got home, and she wasn’t shivering. Ruby sped up when she felt Oscar give a violent shiver. It would forever be on her mind if he got sick because of her.   
  
If Ruby had learnt anything about tact, it was to not announce her arrival by slamming open doors and windows. So, when she saw the compound come into view, she slowed down enough to become visible, and landed by the door, dropping Oscar down before she landed. While she checked the windows, Oscar checked to make sure he still had everything in his pockets.   
“Any reason why most of the lights would be out?” Ruby asked.   
Oscar blinked and looked over to her and the window she was peering into. “The lights are sensitive to movement, so they dim when its night and no one has moved for a while.” Oscar answered helpfully.   
Ruby lit up. “Oh good!” She cheered and then went for the door.  
  
Everyone had gone to bed, and seeing so Ruby sighed in relief, her shoulders drooped with the release of stress draining out of her body.   
Oscar looked to her, his frown back. “Are you alright?” He asked.   
“…I didn’t exactly want to run into Qrow, in case he had some set time we should be back by?” Ruby questioned.   
Oscar blinked. “I did tell him I planned to leave the house with you, he kinda looked sick at the thought but didn’t say what time to be back by. I’m sure he knows we can take care of ourselves by now.” Oscar told her.   
Ruby just grumbled as they entered the building, Oscar making sure to lock the door behind them.  
  
The lights came on in a dimmed fashion, being enough light to see, but not enough for sleeping people to notice them coming on.   
But Ruby noticed it was just only a little warmer than outside.   
“Okay…so where’d the heat go?” She questioned, watching Oscar go into the kitchen to flip the kettle on.   
“It’s probably turned off.” Oscar told her.   
“It…turns off?!” Ruby whispered in a screech.   
Oscar turned to her. “It’s to save efficiency? Since night time most of the time equal people in beds.” Oscar told her as he got their cup of hot chocolate ready.   
  
Oscar felt laughter bubbling to the surface at her expression telling him she wasn’t about to get tired anytime soon and felt himself twitch in response to remembering something.   
“Alright, alright,” Oscar told her, handing her cup to her. “This way,” He added, grasping her hand and led the way back towards the main living area.  
  
Ruby had a perplexed expression, which worsened when he had her sit down on the couch that faced where the TV was, if it was turned on. She never understood the need for the entire wall to be made entirely out of marble. It wasn’t as if the TV screen took up the entire wall in the first place, only the upper half. She had asked Weiss and the ex-heiress had just shrugged, not knowing why herself.  
“Um. Oscar…? It’s a little late for TV, don’t you think?” She questioned, stalling a little when he gave her his cup.   
“Give me a sec,” He muttered.   
She just shrugged and left him be.  
  
Ruby watched as Oscar went over to the wall, and to her surprised pressed into the area just under the TV protector and watched as the middle lower section of marble pulled away to reveal a back-like screen that as soon as Oscar stepped back three steps lit up to reveal the cavity held wood sections surrounded by what looked like recreative dust crystals. By the time Ruby stood up in amazement, the crystal surrounding the wood and what lined the insert flooring started to be set alight in a soft blue flame.   
Ruby stood with her mouth open as she realised she was looking at a dust operated fireplace.   
“How long has that been there?” Ruby asked, coming in closer to Oscar, and feeling the heat as soon as she stepped closer.   
Oscar grinned at her in triumphant. “Longer than anyone realises.” He told her happily.   
Ruby giggled as she handed his cup back to him. “I’m guessing its why the surrounding heating stops in the first place.” She added.   
Oscar felt his head side to one side. “That is a good possibility.” He told her, making her laugh.  
  
They both ended up sitting on the carpet, staring into the blue warming flames; Oscar had taken both their coats off and placed them back in the closet under the stairs at some point, hidden the boxed present as well as placed their empty cups on the table behind them, without Ruby much noticing as she stared engrossed in the blue flames.  
Oscar came back and settled next to her kicking off his shoes so he could sit cross-legged more comfortably, noticing Ruby sat in that weird girl pose, where both legs were to the one side, it had always confused him how she was comfortable.  
  
It had been on his mind that he hadn’t asked her to go with him, and with the date rapidly approaching, in just a few short weeks, he would need to ask her, even if he had already asked if she was allowed to attend, he hadn’t asked _her_.   
He couldn’t exactly take his Scroll out and search up ‘ _how to ask your girlfriend into going to your graduation ceremony_ ’, with her right next to him. She’d see.   
Would she be expecting him to ask? She went to Signal…?   
…But she never graduated- _graduated_.  
Well, that idea went down the drain, right next to asking anyone else how to enter it into the conversation.  
Oscar knew he couldn’t just spring it on her, he knew enough from Ozpin’s memories that females take the world to decide on dresses, and since Signal had a dress criteria…   
Yeah, he needed to tell her.   
Try telling his heart that. Or his head.  
  
It wasn’t just if Ruby would agree, he needed permission from _Qrow_. To take _her_. To the _ceremony_.  
He may as well take Silvis to himself right now. That just sounded like asking for death.  
Even worse was getting permission from _Yang_ , hell, even Taiyang as an alternative!   
Oscar was glad all of this was internalised otherwise Ruby would have asked why he was screaming as they sat staring into the fire.   
Maybe asking Ruby wasn’t as bad as gaining permission from her family.   
His peers would also stare as well. Oscar mentally scoffed at that, not as if that hadn’t been an issue since always.  
  
…Did Ruby even want to go?   
He knew from past experiences from Beacon’s ball that she hated dressing up, and she hated heels. As well, had she even the time since she had her own graduation to deal with?  
That wall near the fireplace looks real handy into bashing his head against right then.   
Ruby suddenly eyed him, and he realised he must have made a noise.   
That was too soon.  
  
./.  
  
Ruby had noticed that Oscar had stiffened beside her, and she glanced at him, to see the starting of panic in his green-hued eyes that she frowned at.   
What had him so worried he was internally panicking? And why not tell her?   
He wasn’t injured, was he? Sick?  
Oscar saw her looking at her, and his looked turned into one of horror, so much she felt her frown turn incredulous when he even _whimpered_.   
“Are you alright?” She asked worriedly.   
Even more when he looked like he choked on nothing.   
  
Ruby turned to him, moving onto her knees next to him.   
“What’s wrong? Are you sick?” She steamrolled into asking.   
Oscar turned silent and shook his head vehemently.   
It didn’t cause her frown to lift.   
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. …Ghost don’t exist right?” Ruby asked, now looking around to see if she had missed something.   
“Ghost…. Ghosts don’t exist….” Oscar managed to splutter out.   
Oh good, so it just meant _she_ had missed something.   
“Okay. Then what did I miss.” She ordered, staring him down.   
Did he just start to _sweat_? Maybe they were too close to the fire?  
  
“It wasn’t you… I just…?” Oscar started, finally after she glared at him.  
Ruby sided her head. “You…what?” She asked, completely confused.   
Ruby watched as he stared at her with an expression of incomprehensive loss.   
“You need to say this?” Ruby asked.   
Oscar blinked, groaned in dismay, but nodded.   
Ruby sat back, worried a little whatever he wanted to say was going to harm her in some way.   
“Is it bad?” She queried.   
Oscar stared at her and shook his head. “No, it’s not, I just don’t know how to ask…” Oscar looked as much as he did back at Beacon, confused at himself.    
Ruby moved her legs about her and took his hand in a hope to help him. “It can’t be as bad as you’re making it out to be.” Ruby said and snorted at his incredulous look that almost screamed that it was.  
  
Maybe it was time for another round of twenty questions.   
They did a similar thing back in Patch when she could find the words to speak.   
“Okay…” Ruby started, looking curious. “You need to ask me something?” She asked looking for clues in what he had stammered out.  
Oscar stared at her but nodded.   
“Alright. And it’s not bad?” She re-asked, Oscar shook his head. “Though you seem to think it is,” Ruby snorted when Oscar glared at her. “Can you write it down? Or show me what it is?” Ruby continued.   
Oscar blinked, then dashed to find his Scroll, leaving her perplexed at how any of that helped him.  
  
If Oscar couldn’t find the words, the _right_ words, then he’d do his damn best the show her what he meant.  
He pulled up the message from school that had the flyer for the graduation in it, its message clear about a plus one could be included at its ball.  
Oscar handed his Scroll over to her and quickly hid his head behind his turned up knees.   
This was such a _bad idea_.  
  
Ruby was suddenly washed over with relief flooding her system that all she could do was stare at the device in her hand, then looked over to Oscar who had hidden his head behind his knees, as if he was worried the world was going to end because of her answer.   
Ruby blinked. “…You want me to go with you?” She asked.   
Ruby had to internalise the giddy feeling she got from making it past her brain when he whined as he nodded barely.   
But she really wanted to laugh or collapse into the floor in relief. “And you couldn’t directly ask me…why?” She queried.   
She watched as he lifted his head a little to stare at her. “…You hate wearing dresses, and balls, and heels…” He mumbled.   
Ruby then let out a laugh that he winced at. “I think you’re forgetting that it’ll be because you asked, or that I would want to go with you.” Ruby answered cheerily.   
  
Oscar’s head flew up, his eyes wide.   
“You’d wanna go!?” He nearly yelped, his voice not yelling because somewhere in his head he knew there were people sleeping.   
Ruby couldn’t help but giggle. “Yes, I’ll wear a dress for you. Thought that was self-explanatory already? …And I kinda hoped you’d go to my graduation too…” She added.   
Oscar just stared before groaning and lying flat on the ground. “Oh, sure, you can find the words to ask, but not me…!” He grumbled.   
“Was that a yes?” Ruby giggled at him.   
Oscar just covered his eyes with his arm. “Kill me now.” He pleaded, making her laugh.   
  
Oscar peered under his arm to look at what she was doing.   
Ruby was still glancing at his Scroll, probably looking through the information.   
“Is there a dress code?” She asked curiously.   
Oscar nodded. “For girls who aren’t in attendance of Signal, yeah,” Oscar muttered. “Page five.” He added for her and watched as she thumbed down to find it.   
“Huh,” She verbalised, Oscar got nothing out of that page apart from it meaning Ruby could come along if she abided by rules that page said. “I guess I have to have two dresses,” She mumbled.   
At least she understood it! It was all jargon and sizes and _this much length below the knee_.   
Beacon’s graduation had no such rules, probably because by then those graduating were legal adults.  
  
Oscar suddenly felt Ruby’s Scroll vibrate.   
“Your Scroll is going off…” Oscar muttered tiredly.   
“I sent the file to me, so I can look over it later without taking your phone when I go dress shopping, I’m sure you can understand why you won’t be joining me.” Ruby told him.   
Oscar whined, aside from it probably taking a week, she probably wanted to kill him on the night.  
Ruby giggled at him and poked his leg a few times to make him look at her. “Why was this the end of days?” She asked.   
Oscar grumbled. “…Because I need to ask Qrow to let you come.” He growled.   
Ruby blinked in sudden understanding of why he had looked horrified.   
Asking Qrow something like that would probably scare the boy half to death.   
“Just remind him he started this.” Ruby added.   
Oscar scoffed tiredly, it probably wouldn’t help.   
  
Ruby poked him again, and he whined tiredly.   
“Come on, we should probably go to bed.” Ruby said, as she got up from her knees, and lent a hand down to help him up.   
Oscar took it and walked over to the mugs.   
“I’ll clean up,” He said, yawning.   
Ruby pointed over her shoulder. “The fire?” She asked.   
Oscar waved her off as he walked into the kitchen. “It’ll be fine, there are protocols in place for it not to start a fire.” He mumbled.   
Ruby raised an eyebrow, shrugged, then headed for the stairs. “I’ll take a quick shower then.” She told him and snickered in delight when she heard the mugs clatter in the sink and the small yelp Oscar made because of her.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
They woke suddenly to Yang yelling, so much that they sprang up from the bed, and Ruby launched for her scythe in panic.   
“WHERE THE HELL DID THE FIRE COME FROM?!” She yelled.  
Oscar deflated in a release of panic. “Oh good, I can go back to bed.” He said as he flopped back onto the bed.   
“WASN’T ME!” Nora was yelling, over what sounded like china breaking.   
Ruby was beady-eyed. “What even is the time…?” She asked, looking over to the bedside to find her Scroll.   
It was about the right time for everyone to be waking, so much she aimed a good-natured kick at Oscar’s dangling foot. “We better go tell them it won’t burn the house down.” Ruby told him.   
Oscar grumbled as he sat up. “Fine.” He muttered, but the next time someone woke him by screaming was going to get Silvis chucked in their face.  
  
By Yang’s yelling, they had all gathered into the main living area, or in the kitchen by the time Oscar and Ruby stumbled downstairs.   
“It’s fine,” Oscar started as he tried to wake up by rubbing one of his eyes.   
They all turned to him, Qrow being the most incredulous of them all.   
Ruby, seeing that Oscar was explaining, bumbled off into the kitchen to turn on the kettle.   
“The ground floor heating turns off when there is an allotted time of non-movement, especially at night times, so when we came in, we were cold, so I turned the fire on.” Oscar explained.   
Now it was Weiss to turn surprised. “…It’s always been there?” She asked.   
Oscar nodded tiredly. “Now if we’re done ogling overstatement furniture…” Oscar hinted.   
They go the idea and quickly moved.  
  
Nora was the most unimpressed of the lot, going about her day, only throwing things when someone moved her cereal by accident when they checked to see if it was stocked.   
It was quickly ascertained that there had been no movement yet with the reopening of the Schnee trade routes with a shrug from Weiss at a status report.   
“He’s in a meeting.” She added, having only gotten to talking to Klein when she rang for an update.   
“Welp, looks like we’re still waiting. How long have we got until we need to return to Beacon?” Ruby was asking, once she finished eating her breakfast, silently trying to figure out how many weeks they had left before the week before graduation.   
They all looked to Qrow, who seeing them look to him, groaned in dismay. “We have a window to settle things before Ozpin decides to send up back if nothing moves soon.” Qrow stated.  
The rest shrugged and went back to eating.  
  
./.  
  
With the washer piled up with their dishes, most had moved out of the kitchen to do their own thing, mainly either studying or going about writing up their reports when Qrow held Oscar up.   
“Hold on, kiddo,” He started, putting a hand on Oscar’s shoulder, not understanding the flinch the boy suddenly made at being called on, or why when the boy turned to him he was wide-eyed. “Has your exam and graduation period changed from previous years?” Qrow asked, sighing all the same.   
Oscar blinked. “No, it’s still the same as the years you were teaching.” Oscar told him while shaking his head.   
  
Qrow did the math in his head. Signal’s exam period was the days leading up to their graduation ceremony, which was a few days before Beacon’s. Qrow quickly understood the sudden deadline Ozpin gave him recently should there be no movement: they needed to be back in time for Oscar to graduate. He then awkwardly patted the boy on the shoulder.   
“Alright, off you go…” He sounded out, trying to not make it sound like he was questioning, but he stood confused when Oscar didn’t move off, and now looked a little nervous.  
  
“Um. Qrow?” Oscar started making one of Qrow’s eyebrow to raise.   
“What’s up?” He asked, hoping he was drunk enough for whatever the boy needed.   
“Can I take Ruby?” Oscar questioned nearly as fast enough to blur his words together.   
Qrow almost blinked in confusion. Take Ruby? Take her where? If he knew anything about letting Oscar go anywhere without his niece, the world would end.   
Maybe he was too drunk for this.   
“Take her where?” He asked.   
Oscar stared at him dumbfoundedly. “Uh. To my graduation?” He asked.   
Ah. Suddenly it made more sense. “You asked her first?” He asked.  
Maybe Qrow should sit down or stop drinking too much.   
Oscar nodded. “I did, she said she would as long as I went to hers.” He said.   
Qrow mentally groaned, of course it was, he could hear the wedding bells now.  
  
Qrow saw how nervous his silence had made Oscar, and he sighed.   
“She’d kill me if I said no, so go ahead, make sure she has the dress code, have fun, yadda, yadda, all that stuff.” Qrow said, suffering internally.   
But he blinked when Oscar lit up like a star. “Really!?” He blurted out.   
Qrow stared at him. “Why the hell not, who else she gonna go with?” He asked.  
Damn it all if he didn’t trust Ruby with anyone else, but this kid, that looked like his permission had granted him the sun.   
“Go ahead, go on.” Qrow urged, shoving Oscar’s shoulder gently to make the kid scatter.  
“Thanks!” Oscar said in high relief, before weirdly bowing at Qrow and bounding out the kitchen, leaving Qrow to groan.   
The hell had the other he been thinking, putting those two kids together.   
Oh yeah, so they wouldn’t _die_.  
  
Everyone paused in confusion when Nora suddenly shrieked in joy and was out of the house in a split second, without her coat, and certainly without a now very confused Ren.   
“Uh, what?” Jaune was questioning by the time Oscar bounded back into the room.   
Ruby had gone over to the door. “IT’S SNOWING!” She yelled, and alike Nora was out the door.   
Oscar seeing her go, just groaned, and went over to the closet, where Ren was already getting his coat out alongside Nora’s.   
“At this rate, they’re gonna freeze.” Oscar grumbled, ignoring Yang and Pyrrha giggling in the background, making sure to grasp the gift box before he made his way out of the house.  
  
Outside it had snowed more overnight with the fresh powder layering up almost every surface, and it’s still gentle fall still finding places to cover.   
Oscar spied Nora, who had plonked herself in the depths of the snow near a lamp and was making sweeping motions with her arms and legs.   
Ren, seeing her, sighed and raised his hands up in defeat before walking over to her to make an attempt to get his girlfriend to wear her coat before she caught a cold, with the rest of JNPR following.   
  
Finding Ruby was a little more difficult, not seeing hair nor hide of her in the street.  
“Lost her?” Yang asked, cheerily as Weiss shut the door behind her and Blake pulled up her hood to warm her ears.   
Oscar looked to her, seeing the rest of them had come outside, and a crow sitting up on the rooftop to monitor them all.   
Oscar just shrugged, before looking upwards. “Ruby!” He called.   
  
Suddenly there were more red petals then there was snowfall around them, as they gathered around them, then formed Ruby standing before them with a cheeky giggle.   
“There you are!” Oscar cheered. “As much as I know you like the snow, please don’t leave the house without your coat, your cloak can only do so much.” He asked.   
Ruby suddenly blinked and realised she didn’t have it, and it was in Oscar’s hand.   
“Ah-ha! Sorry!” She apologised as Oscar handed the garment over to her.   
  
“Hey, guys!” Nora was yelling, having finally been persuaded to put her coat on.   
They all turned to her, as Ruby drew up her hood to make sure the fur was attached properly when Oscar reminded the box he had, seeing her fingers.   
“What’s up?” Yang was yelling as she, Blake and Weiss trudged over to her.   
Ruby seeing that her hood was on properly, made to head off before Oscar placed his hand in hers to stall her.   
“Ruby?” He asked, and she looked at him. “Um. I have something for you.” He started nervously.   
Ruby sided her head. “Yeah?” She questioned, curiously he pulled out a wrapped-up box.   
Oscar handed it to her. “Hope you like it!” He said nervously.   
  
Ruby, for the life of her, couldn’t’ve cared if it was coal, it was the fact, that somewhere along the way, Oscar had decided to gift her something he had seen, and thought of her.   
Ruby tore into the paper and lifted the lid to be stunned silent at what she saw. Inside was a pair of black leather, cotton inside fingerless gloves.   
She felt giddy and she felt her eyes tearing up.  
“You don’t have to like them!” Oscar persisted, seeing her tear up fearfully.   
“No! I’m wearing them!” Ruby nearly yelled as she threw them on, throwing the box under her arm so she wouldn’t lose it.  
  
Oscar stood transfixed as Ruby fixed the left side under her arm guard fiddling with how it would sit.   
“Hey! Lovebirds!” Yang was yelling, causing the two to jump in fright when they were suddenly pelted with snowballs. “SNOWBALL FIGHT!” Yang continued to yell.  
“OH, IT’S ON!” Ruby was yelling, bursting into her semblance, gathering Oscar up and racing over to gather up snow into balls before pelting her sister in retaliation.  
Ruby noted that her hands were less cold because of the gloves, and having her fingers free meant she could still handle the snowballs with accuracy. She’d have to thank Oscar properly later.  
  
They weren’t keeping score of which pair had more hits than others. At one point in time, someone had thrown one at the nearby watchful crow, who had squawked angrily at them all, making them all laugh, before returning to pelt their friends.   
While one threw the balls, the other made the fort and gathered the snow into balls. Weiss was the only one who wasn’t in a pair, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hold her own, using her glyphs to pelt the snowballs they threw at her.  
  
Ruby dropped Oscar, seeing so, many of the pairs threw their ammo at him before he just simply used his semblance to halt their attack, and returning them to sender, making each pair yelp out in fright before they were inundated with snow.   
While so, Ruby was racing over to her sister, who was groaning at the returned snow dumped on her head, didn’t notice Ruby behind her until Ruby yanked the back of her shirt up and threw snow down her back.  
Yang freaked at the sudden coldness. “Cheat!” She yelled, already knowing it was Ruby.   
Ruby raced away, laughing. “You started it!” Ruby was yelling as she raced away.  
  
It wasn’t long before they teamed up, with the intent to get Ruby and Oscar at least once.   
“Oh yeah, that’s fair!” Ruby yelled from the lamp.   
Hearing her, Nora and Ren pelted her, making her laugh and race off, but not before moving their nearby snow up and dumping it on them.   
Both Oscar and Ruby laughed at their woeful groaning.  
  
Ruby giggled as she reappeared behind Weiss.   
“So, how’s the snow?” She asked her.   
Weiss jumped and reared back at her voice suddenly being behind her.   
“There!” Jaune was yelling, pointing at Ruby and Oscar, who cheerily waved.   
Weiss’ eyes widened in sudden fear when she realised what Ruby was doing, and before she could retaliate, she was swamped with snow, and Ruby was off without a lick of snow on her or Oscar.   
“Sorry Weiss!” Pyrrha was saying.   
  
Ruby and Oscar were laughing by the time most of the group was under snow, Jaune and Pyrrha wisely putting up surrender.   
“Stop using your semblance and fight properly!” Yang yelled.   
Ruby stopped. “Alright then.” She quipped as she reformed next to Oscar.   
Both Yang and Blake eyed each other before the two in front of them for deceit, before pelting the two with snow.   
  
Ruby didn’t move, but her grin turned into a smirk when the snowballs being thrown paused in the air ominously by Oscar.   
“Yeah, but you didn’t say he couldn’t, so…” Ruby answered.   
Yang gave out a roar of annoyance that her sister laughed at merrily.   
  
Oscar sent their ammo back at them, making both Yang and Blake dodge as much as they could without moving into his field to be kicked off the ground.   
“How much can you hold?!” Blake hissed in friendly annoyance.   
Oscar shrugged. “More than that.” He said simply.   
Ruby laughed.   
  
Suddenly Oscar’s feet were swept out from underneath him, causing him to gasp in fright that quickly turned to pained as he became dazed when he hit his head.   
“Get them!” Yang was yelling out.   
Weiss used her glyphs to keep Ruby down  
The rest ran at them as they threw their snowballs at them, trying to stop Oscar from getting to his feet.  
  
Suddenly the road exploded all around them, with snow lifting off the ground in mixed increments, the lamp post shaking as if it fought from being pulled from the ground. The children were all lifted up into the air, most yelping in awe. Some heard the crow squawk in alarm, some even saw it flying off the nearby rooftop.   
When all of a sudden, they were dropped, some not too gently back into the snow, they all looked at Oscar who wasn’t even looking at them but behind them. At a sudden form of a person, who looked like they always had a scowl or some form of a frown.   
Suddenly all fun and games bled out from every one of them.   
Oscar straightened. “Miss Schnee.” He addressed formally, not much as Oscar, but lost in his mind.  
  
Before them all, stood Winter Schnee, looking as much a Schnee with her silent judging scowl, and as ever the prim and proper soldier none of them ever wanted to be, and as much a Schnee as Weiss used to be.  
No wonder Qrow fled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, if anyone is interested, the graduation ceremonies are one of the hardest scenes to write, and I've been stuck on them both for what seems like an eternity. As in they suck, and hopefully, they aren't rushed and I'm probably way overthinking them, but WHY DOES EVERY DRESS HAVE A DIFFERENT STYLE AND STYLES HAVE NAMES AND WHAT. I've just recently found out a ball gown can have the sleeves I've imagined and they actually have a name called "floor-length angel sleeve" and just what. There's like 7 dresses I need to figure out, and they all need to be different.   
> h e l p.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter has arrived. The crow has fled in terror. Debating on who destroyed the most property. Trade discussion. Oscar still threatening to hurl people out windows. Pillows are thrown. Exam cram time feat Ruby not knowing how to write about Oscar. Nora throws pencils because she can. Ruby dispairs and Oscar comforts. Stargazing. Talking about stars as if they're people. The Cookie Hunt makes a wintery return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My baby boy is safe and fine (...ish?) and that's all that matters.   
> In other good news this story is finished, so yay onto the next one?   
> It's roughly 220k. Have fun with that. I know my hands didn't.
> 
> Again, a big thank you to Blooming and Ly for being awesome and dealing with me constantly. Because I'm always asking if scenes are okay, and if they're not too / or too little descripty. Because its a thing. And I hate it, and oh my god I am never doing a graduation ball again (oh god I have to do another graduation ball in the next story. HAHA. Save me)

_I can’t remember our last victory: was it the past, or just a dream? I’ve made mistakes that devastated: Too many battles lost to tell. If I could turn back to time to find you, I’d find our confidence as well. So please forgive the tears and whispers: if you are only in my head. Sometimes I want to think you’re listening when every other voice is dead. I think I need your hands to lift me, I think I need your light to shine. There lies a trail of fire behind us from a war-struck, weary time. I’m going to need a guide to show me: to walk me through the streets of gold. The last survivor of the Fall, without a will to live at all. The sun is setting, I’ve come a thousand miles alone. And I can’t shake the feeling: you’ll arrange the stars to lead me home.  
— [Aviators](https://youtu.be/RLvrTeE7S6A)  
_

_Other music:_

_[A Great Big World](https://youtu.be/FArhxzbTO-A) — You   
[Skillet](https://youtu.be/TbLJyjfyACM) — Stars_

  
Chapter 8

   
Winter stood there among the settling snow, staring at them all as if they were a puzzle she couldn’t quite figure out.   
“Winter!” Weiss was saying as she tried to lift herself out of the snow Oscar dumped her into, and onto her as well.  
Seeing her struggle Winter rose an eyebrow but didn’t move to help but continued to survey.  
Weiss settled on grunting in annoyance. “Ruby! Little help!” Weiss called.  
Ruby, who had been in a daze, shook her head a little then exploded into her Semblance and raced around the collect her teammates to right them, before standing back by Oscar, in silent concern for her boyfriend.   
  
“What are you doing here?” Weiss asked as soon as she was out of the snow bank as Ruby shook Oscar’s shoulder to make him look to her, and he gave out a little helpless shrug.   
“I wished to ascertain your wellbeing after hearing you were here.” Winter told her.   
Weiss blinked in a mixture of awe and rapture.  
Winter was now looking around and only seeing children, she started to frown. “…Are you here by yourselves?” She questioned.   
Suddenly they were all looking around as well. “No, Qrow is overseeing us and our welfare while we’re here.” Oscar told her.   
They all mentally snickered at the facial twitch Winter did at the mention of Qrow.  
  
It looked like it was incredibly hard for the older Schnee to keep her expression blank.   
“And where is Qrow?” She asked.   
Ruby ended up shrugging. “Well, he _was_ he…A second ago…” Ruby said awkwardly.   
Oscar just ended up snorting. “At least you can’t tear up the courtyard now.” He stated.   
Winter looked to him in confusion as to how he knew about that incident having not seen the boy there.   
Yang barked a laugh. “Yeah, but _you_ managed it instead!” She crowed happily.   
Oscar just ended up shrugging. “At least I didn’t destroy the pillars.” He muttered in annoyance.    
  
Weiss looked back to Ruby.   
“Should we go back inside and wait for Qrow…?” She questioned.   
Ruby just shrugged and went for the door to open it as Oscar pawed the back of his head gingerly.   
  
Ruby raced off towards the kitchen once her coat was off, leaving her peers by the door in a hurry to get the kettle on.   
Weiss was chattering away to her sister, leaving the rest of team RWBY to stand by Weiss nervously and unsure of Winter. Yang’s eyes dotted from Winter to Blake and around the room to make sure she knew where Ruby was flittering around at, while Blake was loath to take her coat off, with her ears trying to hide themselves from the elder Schnee’s scrutiny.  
  
JNPR had more ease: with Nora flopping without a care onto the nearest couch, Ren following her with a sigh and Jaune making sure their weapons were stored properly.   
It was Pyrrha was put a hand on Oscar’s shoulder to pause the boy from going anywhere further.   
“Are you alright?” She questioned, worry laced in her tone.   
Oscar twitched slightly. “I hit my head outside, when I got tripped.” He answered taking his hand away from the back of his head as if he was inspecting for blood.   
Pyrrha sided her head and suddenly understood why half the courtyard decided to explode before Winter’s appearance.   
“You don’t seem to be bleeding.” She noted, seeing no blood on his glove.   
Oscar nodded. “I’ll be careful…” He muttered, properly hearing the cautious tone or somewhere else in his head.  
  
They ended up sitting in the main living area by the time Ruby came back, with a pot of tea and several mugs of hot chocolate.   
The only thing she could make in the kitchen without the entire place exploding.   
“So, what exactly are you doing here?” Ruby asked, as politely as she could once she sat down next to Oscar.   
“I am here because Ironwood sent me in regard to information from Father.” Winter started.   
“…So, you’re a glorified messenger now?” Oscar asked making some of them laugh because of him in good nature.   
Winter glared at him and he shrugged.  
  
Qrow suddenly appeared from around a corner.   
“So, what is the message, and how long exactly are you gonna be here explaining it?” He asked, leaning against the wall.   
Winter glared at him. “No more then I have to!” She snarled.   
Qrow looked to the time. “See. Five minutes wasted already.” He muttered.   
Most were glad by now that she hadn’t brought her weapon, or an escort with her.   
  
“…Can we maybe not destroy this house like you did back at Beacon, please?” Ruby piped up nervous about the tension she could feel as the two adults glared at each other from opposite ends of the room.  
“She started it.” Qrow muttered.   
Winter quickly stood. “I did no such thing!” She hissed.   
  
Oscar slammed his fist down on the table.   
“Enough!” He yelled, causing Qrow to flinch, the rest to jump in surprise and Winter to look perplexed at his behaviour. “I have a headache enough as it is, without you two scenting the air. Out with whatever you’re here for!” Oscar barked in annoyance.   
“Please don’t collapse the room again.” Pyrrha added nervously.   
Winter stared at him with a sudden flash of understanding going through her eyes, now thinking she understood her father’s request being sent to Ironwood, as if she just suddenly understood why Ironwood had been reluctant to come here himself.  
  
“I am to inform you that Father is now in talks with the Mistral council over the reopening of the trade route for the Schnee Dust company. I am under the impression he did try to make contact with Weiss first before taking the request you be told to Ironwood.” Winter told them as she noted Oscar was rubbing his temples, and most of the group looked in thought.   
“Well, that’s great and all, but that means what for us people who have no idea what that means.” Qrow snarked.   
Winter glared at him.   
  
“Qrow…” Oscar muttered in warning, and Qrow suddenly looked contrite.   
“What it means is the process for reopening trade has begun, you apparently wished to be appraised of the situation. In the lead up to this, the council has agreed for the trade routes to be reopened.” Winter tried reexplaining.   
“…So…what are they talking about now?” Jaune asked in confusion.   
“Politics.” Qrow spat and walked off into the kitchen in a huff.  
  
“And that means what exactly?” Ruby called out to her uncle.   
“Just exactly what the trade means to Atlas currently, and the benefits of trade being open to just Dust from the Schnee company.” Winter said.   
Ruby looked to her with one eyebrow raised. “…So…it’s about cost?” She asked.   
Winter nodded. “Essentially. How much to sell Dust for, transport it and how much it costs to be manufactured safely to turn a profit.” She said.   
“See. That makes it easier to understand.” Qrow said, coming back into the room with his flask full.   
Winter glared at him. “I do not need to explain simple things to you!” She barked.   
“I am _this_ close to throwing either of you out the nearest window, I swear.” Oscar muttered in warning, still pawing his forehead.   
  
Qrow flinched and Winter just ended up sighing in somewhat resigned confusion.   
“What it means is that once they barter a system of return, messages will go out to the kingdom’s trade ports and stores requesting if they want stock, and how much that stock will cost in labour, transport hire and manufacturing cost for an end price.” Winter said.   
“And how long will that take?” Weiss asked.   
Winter looked to her. “It should not take more than a few days, the responses from the kingdoms may take longer, but the trade will be there up and running for when they do.” Winter told her.  
  
Winter then glanced back at Qrow.   
“Can I expect a fast reply from Beacon at least?” She asked, somewhat cordially.   
Qrow blinked at her. “That’s why we’re here in the first place.” He retorted.   
Winter nodded in affirmation, then stood up, with everyone racing to meet her. “I believe I have said all I know.” Winter started. “I will take my leave, if you no longer have any questions.” She added.   
Ruby held up her hand hesitantly. “Um…?” She started, Winter looked to her, and she managed to not shiver in unease. “Tell Ironwood we’re sorry about his army? They wouldn’t stop shooting at us.” She asked.  
   
Winter nodded. “I believe your headmaster has already spoken to Ironwood about this,” She told Ruby, who nodded in relief. “I believe it is not up to me too when you are to depart.” Winter told them, most of the children shrugged at that since they had no idea when they were to leave.   
“Yeah, yeah, got it.” Qrow muttered.   
“Someone will inform you when the talks have concluded.” Winter told him.  
Winter then walked over to the door, turned around, gave her sister a look over with a smile, saluted then left.   
  
As soon as she did, Qrow groaned in relief before working out the kinks in his shoulder.  
“Well, survived that.” He muttered.   
“You didn’t really help…” Ruby muttered.   
Qrow shrugged and sculled his drink faster. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” He said, walking out the main living area.   
Most of them just shook their heads at him and let him walk away.   
“…So, we’re here for a while longer, then?” Yang was questioning.   
“Seems that way.” Ruby answered.   
“Fair enough. Ren and Nora are on dinner duties!” Weiss was quick to say.   
Weiss quickly got out the way of Nora throwing a pillow at her head as the rest laughed.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
With the night coming with a thankful dinner not blowing up in anyone’s faces due to Ruby or Nora, they found themselves grounded around a low table in the main common area with all their both written and electrical preparations for their mission reports, and if they finished, to prepare for exam studying.   
Qrow had made himself scarce as soon as he saw the group gather to study, almost as if he feared he’d be roped into tutoring.  
Oscar left the two teams alone as well, seeing that he could almost see Ozpin’s glare at him if he were to help them, or the proverbial scolding if it ever past his ears he helped in any way.   
So, Oscar made himself scarce as well. There was only so many puppy-doe-eyed pleading faces Ruby could make at him before he caved and helped.   
  
Oscar had only pulled out his own studying when his own Scroll vibrated on the floor next to him. He grasped it absentmindedly as he pulled out the work he needed to do before he got back to school.

_Oscar! Help!_

_—RR_

Oscar stared at his Scroll.   
No that just wasn’t plain fair!

_You need to do it yourself!  
I can’t help you!_

_—OP_

It wasn’t fair she was able to do that, especially when he wanted to help her, and her friends. But she needed to do it herself, and he needed to try and not call up Ozpin’s memories when doing his own work.   
It was harder then it looked.   
  
The sun was setting by the time Oscar groaned and threw his pen away to cradle his head with the headache that had formed with his constant attention in swatting away probable memories of answers to his report writing.  
Oscar felt his Scroll vibrate in his pocket, and he groaned as he laid his head on his folded arms. He found his Scroll and opened it and sat up a little in surprise it wasn’t Ruby who messaged him.

_I know you can’t help, but seriously Ruby is packing it here._

_—YXL_

Oscar sighed, seeing his own work was done, for now, he slammed the books shut, and left the room.  
  
As soon as he arrived in the living area they were using, Ruby immediately saw him and reared at her sister.   
“I told you not to!” She yelled at her.   
Oscar blinked at the emotions rolling off her in waves, mostly apprehension and agitation.   
Yang merely shrugged noncommittedly, while Nora threw her pencil at Pyrrha for some reason.   
“Could you stop, please?” Weiss pleaded.   
  
“What…is going on?” Oscar asked.  
Ruby sighed. “I told her not to…” She muttered.   
Oscar sided his head in thought, before shrugging and moving to her side. “What’s wrong?” He questioned.   
Ruby groaned as she hid her head into her arms on the table, her work all around her, hearing her Oscar sat down next to her in concern to pat her shoulder.   
“It can’t be _that_ bad!” Oscar urged.   
Ruby whined at him.  
  
Oscar looked to Yang.   
“Why did you call me down?” He asked.   
Yang looked incredulous and gestured to Ruby.   
“We know you can’t help,” Pyrrha started, causing Oscar to look to her. “But I’m sure Ruby doesn’t know how to write your involvement into her report in a way that will appease everyone who will need to read it.” She commented.   
  
Oscar blinked then looked to the papers that surrounded Ruby’s head.   
The work looked like the standard Beacon report writing, if memory served.  
As well, it wouldn’t just be Ozpin who would read it, the council would, seeing as they were trying to find out if Ozpin favoured them, or gave them leeway, as well as Signal’s teachers, seeing as he was involved, and it would get to them that Ruby was involved, they would be wondering where he was if she left him out. And his own work involved his being involved with Ruby’s work. It would call up a huge inquiry if either Ruby or himself were found to be emitting the truth.   
  
Oscar clicked his tongue and gathered her work to read it over, patting Ruby’s knee and ignoring the other’s nervous chittering.   
“What have you guys mentioned about this?” He asked.   
Many shrugged. “We worked on the parts of the mission that didn’t have your direct involvement with us.” Blake commented.   
Oscar nodded, then patted her knee again. “Ruby?” He questioned. He watched as she revealed one eye at him. “I need you to go get my work, ‘kay?” He asked.   
Ruby nodded small and was off before she said anything.   
  
Ruby returned with his work and sat next to him.   
“Alright, sorry in advance if I appear grumpy, I’ve got a headache,” Oscar noted, before looking back to Ruby. “So, you need to have me in your report because the teachers at Signal are going to want to read yours, and they need to have the same information in mine.” Oscar told her. “Is this what you needed help with before?” He asked, just only a little confused since she had written about every other part of the mission was already written up.   
Ruby grumbled out something he couldn’t catch, but it sent Yang into giggles.   
He figured it was best left alone.   
  
He looked to the others.   
“What do you guys need so you can finish off your reports?” He asked.   
He watched as they all looked to each other and shrugged.   
“Just that we need to write where Ruby was, and what she was doing into our written statement when she was given our assignments, and our views.” Jaune ended up saying, ignoring Nora to his left.   
  
Oscar thought this over.   
“Okay, somewhere in your pre-mission report, you need to state that there was a Signal student approved to come by both Beacon and Signal, how you word that, the reasoning and how you go about putting it into your work, remains up to you.” Oscar stated, then there was a scramble for notes and pens alike.   
Oscar then looked to Ruby. “You need to state as well, your reasoning for my involvement and the limitations Signal put on you for my involvement.” Oscar added for her to write.   
Ruby nodded and got to work.  
  
Most of their papers ended up being vetted by Oscar in the end anyway, much to Oscar’s chagrin, and to their constant apologies. Most of them ended up going with saying that Oscar was an approved extra from Signal and was only allowed to be left in the care of Ruby, to explain his constant reappearance whenever Ruby came into their mission writing. Whereas Ruby made extra sure to make it known Oscar was approved by both Beacon and Signal, with limitations that he only be with her when their mission went south and why she accompanied him for his own mission. And Oscar mostly piggybacked off what Ruby stated and included it into his own writing.  
“So…This isn’t cheating…is it?” Weiss was the first to ask.   
“I WON’T TELL IF YOU DON’T!” Nora shouted and she hoarded her finished report to herself and glared to them all as if she feared they’d take it from her.  
Oscar sighed. “I guess it’s a point of view, but from as truthful as we can get in the reports, we’re not cheating, if only…curbing some of the harder truths to say.” Oscar said.   
Not just Ruby ended up snorting in amusement.  
  
./.  
  
It was well past dusk hour by the time they had finished their report writing, and with seeing the time, they didn’t even attempt their studying for their upcoming exams.   
“I’m beat.” Yang said as she stretched.   
Most of them by now were either packed up or still packing their resources back into their bags, while Oscar had gotten up and wandered into the kitchen off to the side to flip the kettle on.   
Oscar heard the many affirmations and bags being shuffled heralding the end of the group session and making way for the stairs for their bedrooms upstairs.  
  
He was fixing himself a mug of hot chocolate when Ruby entered the kitchen, looking a little contrite.   
“Um…Oscar?” She started, making him turn to her. “Can I… Can I talk to you?” She asked.   
Oscar immediately frowned, but hearing her tone, got out another mug nonetheless.   
“Alright. Go turn the fireplace on if we’re gonna stay up.” Oscar told her.   
Ruby nodded, and made herself scarce, making Oscar watch her disappear with a concerned frown.   
  
Oscar gave her a mug and sat down next to her on the floor near the fireplace.   
He watched her as she took the mug and stared at the fire.   
“…This about what happened before?” He asked, guessing at why she was off in her behaviour.   
Ruby gave out an indecisive vocal and chugged her drink.   
Oscar looked thoughtful and looked back to the fire.  
“Were you wanting my help because you realised that your reports were going to be looked over by more than just Ozpin?” He asked, trying to get to the root of her problem.   
“I don’t want to be responsible for making you fail because I wasn’t sure how to write you into my report.” She muttered in annoyance at herself.   
  
Oscar blinked at her at that. True, adding in accomplices wasn’t a done thing in a written report for Beacon outside of team members and the occasional teacher or proctor. It wasn’t the norm to add in civilians and approved others.   
It wasn’t a done thing.  
But they were in different times, and things needed to change with them.   
“I doubt you will cause me to fail, Ruby,” He admonished, nearly scoffing at the idea. “The whole idea for this trip was for me to upgrade Silvis in the first place. You wrote appropriately and, in the guidelines, given to you, given reiteration that I was approved to come along by both academies.” He told her.   
Ruby hadn’t moved from looking into the fire.   
  
Oscar stood up and put their mug on the table behind them.   
“Alright. Up.” Oscar demanded, and strode over to her, and hauled her up.   
“Oscar!” Ruby yelped as she felt him start to lead out of the room, grasping their coats and something that looked like an insulated blanket as he went.   
“Nope.” He answered, and walked out of the room, and through the kitchen towards the backrooms.   
  
Ruby was left bewildered when Oscar threw her coat at her, with a gesture she put it on. She did so as Oscar shuffled his own on as he opened the back door, using his foot to hold it open as he finished getting his coat on, and gestured her to leave the house.  
She looked back to him as the door shut behind him.   
“…Okay? I’m outside…Now what?” She asked, completely bewildered.   
Oscar just shoved the blanket into her hands as they stood underneath the patio’s roofing. “Lie this out and sit on it.” He told her, before stalking off to the side.  
  
By now Ruby was incredulous but did as she was told, and sat down in a huff with a pout.   
“Okay! I’m sitting!” She said, watching Oscar stall at a certain pillar for the patio. “Now what?” She asked.   
Oscar sided his head before he pressed into the wood, and it retracted to reveal a switchboard. “Look up.” He answered as he pressed one of two buttons.   
In an instant there was a clanging of small gears, and suddenly the roof was retracting, it’s pillars, all but the control pillar, transforming back up into the canopy, the roofing retracting all the way back to the structure of the compound, much like an awning to reveal a clear sky free from the aurora’s lights and snow alike.  
  
By the time Oscar returned to the side, the awning was locking against the house, and she was gasping out in awe as she pointed up seeing stars.  
“You can see the stars here!” Ruby gushed.   
“Hmm,” Oscar vocalised, looking from her to the stars. “On clear nights, and when there’s no snowfall.” He told her.  
Ruby’s eyes rushed to take in the star formations, looking for her favourites. “I can’t…?” She started, looking towards Oscar.   
Oscar was already looking to her, and whatever he saw in her expression made him smile finally before he looked upwards.   
  
“Well, because of where we are, and the time of season…” Oscar started, falling back to lying down, and Ruby rushed to do the same.   
Oscar pointed towards the horizon that they couldn’t see due to the houses around them. “Since it’s winter…The Elder sister star would be about there, touching the horizon, almost as if it's on land, or walking towards you. But because of where we are, she’s asleep right now.” Oscar told her.   
Ruby nodded still scanning the stars.   
“And the one you dubbed a phoenix is out at the moment because its winter here, but its sister,” Oscar stalled to scan before he launched his hand up. “There!” He said jubilantly.  
  
Oscar was pointing upwards, directly above them.   
“In winter the sole remainder is more silver than green.” Oscar told her, seeing as the star was now only a tinge of green in its silver sheen.    
“So that’s why I couldn’t find it…” Ruby muttered happily.   
Oscar chuckled. “It’s not because the stars up and left you, Ruby. They’re always be there.” Oscar reminded.  
Ruby giggled.  
  
Atlas, when it wasn’t snowing, was calm, filled with peaceful serene noises of the nature around them settling, either going to sleep or just waking up.  
Oscar sat up and looked to Ruby, who was still staring up at the stars.   
“So, are you gonna tell me what happened before?” He asked.   
Ruby groaned and deflated before sitting up. “It’s just…” She struggled, now looking at him. “I’m this close to graduating,” Ruby started as she gestured with her fingers the time left she had. “But I came across something in my writing that I hadn’t known how to include!” She gestured outward suddenly a little angrily. “How can I be ready, if I still don’t know how to write circumstances that deviate from examples!” She asked.   
  
Oscar blinked at her, startled by her outburst.  
Suddenly her behaviour made sense.   
“Think about all the missions you did anonymously if you were to write every one of them up, would most of them deviate from Beacon’s controlled examples?” He questioned.   
Ruby blinked, suddenly more so in amazement. “Yeah…They would have.” She muttered.   
“Why?” He asked curiously for her answer.   
“They weren’t cookie cutter, I had to rely on local civilians for places and information to conclude the mission…” Ruby muttered.   
“But you still did them and got the hang of how to navigate them and read between the lines within half a year, it’s a feat, Ruby.” He told her.   
Ruby blinked at him, before hiding her head in embarrassment at his comment.   
  
Oscar just shrugged.   
“Maybe this mission deviated from Beacon’s controlled examples, but most Huntsmen missions _are_ ,” He told her. “The missions Beacon hands out are designed in such a way its Huntsmen get used to their variety, just use this mission as a new variety, and get back to closing in the mission and handing it in.” Oscar told her.   
“Well, sure, when you say it like _that_.” She huffed in friendly annoyance that made Oscar laugh.   
“Just remember that every mission you did anonymously you didn’t need to write anything up, it wasn’t just because you did it anonymously, most, if not all missions only require a clear out and a done, unless it says so.” Oscar said.   
Ruby huffed. “I’m never taking a written report mission, ever.” She pouted making Oscar laugh again before she broke into giggles herself.   
  
“Alright,” Oscar said, as he stood up and patted down his clothes. “Time to head in, don’t you think?” He asked. Ruby raced up and saluted causing him to chuckle. “You pack up the blanket, I’ll take care of the roof.” He told her.   
Ruby nodded and gathered up the blanket to fold as Oscar walked over to the sole remaining pillar that had the control panel in it.   
“So, how’d you know about it?” Ruby stalled. “Wait. Let me guess, Ozpin built it?” She asked.   
Oscar laughed. “He didn’t actually!” He said as the roof started to pull out, and he noted her head cocked. “One of Atlas’ own did. He just knew about it.” He told her.   
“So that makes all the difference!” She crowed, laughing.   
“It does! Because Ozpin didn’t build it!” Oscar returned, making Ruby snicker happily, and nod as if to appease him.  
  
They walked back into the house, shivering a little at the temperature differences.   
“Alright, you take care of the blanket and fire, I’ll take care of the kitchen.” Oscar proposed.   
“Awesome! No burning Ruby today!” Ruby bid and rushed to do her tasks. “I have dibs on the shower!” She said as she ran.   
Oscar blinked as if he did an out of body trip. “One of these days you’re gonna regret saying that!” He called back.   
“Sure!” She said happily as the fire turned off and she raced up the stairs, leaving Oscar to shake his head at her antics and finish washing their mugs before heading up himself.   
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Oscar woke first and to a house still sleeping so he helped himself to the kitchen, its baking utensils and its ovens.   
It had been a few days since they had heard from any representative for the Schnee dust company and Qrow had started to double check each room he went into as if he was just waiting for Winter to appear in one of them.   
With no one awake, Oscar quite literally had the bottom half of the house to himself, since for once in his life Qrow wasn’t asleep on the couch, Oscar had hoped the old crow had managed to at least find a bed upstairs and wasn’t outside somewhere following Winter around.   
Hopefully.  
  
Oscar hadn’t done a Cookie Hunt in Atlas yet, and he was curious for its results.   
It was a shame most of the house was asleep at the time, or that he hid cookies in their rooms as a wake-up call that would pay off in an hour.   
“Hey, Ruby?” He called, shaking her shoulder.   
Ruby grumbled at him and shrugged him off.   
Oscar sighed, in play. “Oh well,” He started, breaking off part of a cookie with his teeth. “I guess I’ll just have to eat them all.” He said and moved quickly once he waved the still hot cookie at her face to the far end of the room.   
  
Ruby was awake in seconds. “COOKIE!” She yelled, and somewhere in the house, Qrow shivered.   
Ruby looked over to Oscar as he ate the one he had. “Better hurry, else they’re gonna go cold.” He told her, as he licked his fingers.   
“How many.” She demanded.   
“All over. Two hundred.” He upped the stakes.   
Her eyes grew wide and she exploded into her semblance and ran out of the room, in a split second he heard almost everyone scream out in fright as Ruby ransacked every room.  
  
While everyone was screaming, Oscar moved down towards the kitchen that was a disaster zone after Ruby hit it and the main living room to make a cup of hot chocolate for himself, trying to muffle his own laughter as he heard Qrow screaming out, following Weiss’ at the other end of the compound.   
“RUBY!” Yang was yelling.   
“FIFTY-FIVE!” Ruby yelled back as if the number made up for waking Yang up.  
  
Qrow suddenly appeared next to Oscar, as dishevelled as ever, as if he had been thrown out of his bed, and out of his room by his niece as she threw not just the mattress, but the entire bunk up into the ceiling.   
“Gods,” Qrow grouched. “Whatever possessed you to…?” He asked.   
Oscar calmly drank his hot chocolate as Blake was hissing out in anger and Nora was screaming. “I was bored.” He said.   
Qrow’s eyes widened in what looked like slight fear. “You should never be left alone, kid.” He admonished, almost ready to ward Oscar off like a bad spirit.   
  
Jaune appeared without his armour and his hoodie just barely on his torso.   
“Why? Just why.” He asked, over what sounded like a fight from the top story and Ruby yelling with objects being thrown about and hitting every known surface, including people.   
“Well, it got you up.” Oscar admitted.   
“And this warranted its herald?” Pyrrha asked from behind Jaune as she pulled her hair up into its usual place.   
Oscar just shrugged at them happily.   
  
A dishevelled pyjamas-wearing Blake backflipped off the railing, and out the way, seeing that Ruby was more interested in the top floor rooms. She gave Oscar a glance over before Yang was suddenly flung into her arms from above so fast that both of them stared at each other dumbfoundedly.  
“What even is the time?” Blake asked with her cat ears trained on the upstairs as she let Yang down absentmindedly over Nora’s war cry, Ren had wisely made himself scarce and was coming down the stairs to retreat from the war above.   
  
There was suddenly a person from behind them clearing their throat to get their attention that drove Oscar to suddenly have no good mood left in him, when they all turned and saw, amongst the devastation Ruby left, was standing Winter Schnee, looking prim and proper as ever.   
Qrow nearly choked on his flask, and Yang nearly shrieked in alarm at seeing the elder Schnee in their now war zoned front living room, and she being the only person properly dressed scared them all.  
  
Weiss hurried down from upstairs, using her glyphs to get out the way of a Ruby tornado that currently had no care for her health as it charged for Nora, who had taken several cookies hostage for her penance. Weiss dropped down into the main living area with just her nightdress on, and a glare aimed at Oscar, and not seeing her sister behind her, or the sudden panic on most of their faces.   
“Coward!” Weiss was shouting up back at Nora and Ruby.  
“Uh, Weiss…” Yang started in panic, Weiss glared at her before Yang gestured for her to turn around with a wince.   
Weiss turned around and found her sister staring at her, as if she were a puzzle, so much that Weiss only sighed. “Would you believe me if I said this was a common occurrence?” She asked, tiredly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno, please give me cookies or a review in a huzzah for this story reaching roughly 220k upon this story finishing?? Or just because I need validation? Please?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cooke Hunt gets called off. Winter brings mostly good news, and then very bad news. Atlas screws them over. Qrow can't get Scroll service. Oscar almost gets propositioned by two adults that makes Ruby want to shove her scythe up their noses. Oscar hates pet names for obvious reasons. Vale Council still sucks, no one is surprised. Mantle suck, Yang wants to burn things. Kiddies become parttime Resident Huntsmen on their way home. Ruby faceplants a bed. Nora and Jaune get seasick. Farewells are said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Press F to pay respects for every blissful thing that happened in today's episode.   
> Everyone is hung up on the bumblebee stuff, and I'm just sitting here going "YOU'RE DOING AMAZING SWEETIE!" at Oscar for yelling at Ruby alone that she was in danger, instead of everyone else XD  
> Also cashews.
> 
> Anyway, PLEASE note if you have read the summary that Oscar does get ... propositioned by two legal adults, while he is seventeen. If this brings up triggers for you, please read responsibly, as the scene is based on my own real-life experiences. So please be aware of that and be responsible if you need to skim.   
> Thought it would be a good thing to mention so you could be aware.

_I will be strong, take it in stride and walk along. As we kiss, we close our eyes. The sands of our hourglasses fall and drift by I know someday, we’ll meet again, somehow... I guess I’ll wait for you, ‘til then. I’ve always hated this world until one morning, I met a girl. It was an August autumn day: She walked along, she put a smile on her face! But I knew it was all a lie: She wore the same mask as mine. I’m taking my first steps, faster than I have ever moved, I’m there, reaching out to you. Even the way I’ve come to love there’s traces of you in everyone. If all you are is soon to be mine, I will take you by the hand and open your eyes, so I could see you, one last time. I know someday, somewhere far away in the clouds, where fate and destiny could never take hold: you and I fall in love in our hearts, in our soul! We found what we’ve been looking for all our lives: somewhere the two of us can look to the light and smile, not just “walk along”. Here, you and I will live on!  
— RADWIMPS _| 歌詞 _  
([Akane English Ver.](https://youtu.be/0FW6ddWwhy0))_

_Other music:  
[Skylar Grey](https://youtu.be/4JmrOXSbsOU) — Coming Home   
[Gabrielle Aplin](https://youtu.be/EPNgq4ZRxKg) — Home_

Chapter 9

 

Everyone stared at each until it got slightly awkward.   
“Uh… Oscar?” Yang breathed, Oscar looked to her while trying to keep Winter in his eyesight. “Mind calling Ruby off?” She asked, seeing as Ruby and Nora hadn’t noticed they had a guest.  
“…Right…” Oscar muttered, then he whistled.   
Everything around them suddenly stalled, as if frozen, before Ruby appeared in front of Oscar, looking confused, before he pointed to Winter.   
Ruby saw the elder Schnee, and the chaos she left. “…Oops…” She muttered before exploding in her Semblance and the room started to fix itself in a haze of red.   
Nora out of nowhere appeared next to Ren, completely confused until she saw Winter looking at them in thinly veiled disgust.   
  
Ruby appeared once the place was back in order.   
“Give us five minutes!” She pleaded, holding out on finger up to Winter.   
Winter simply nodded, and then was suddenly alone once Ruby had gathered up her friends and family and rushed them all back to their rooms, and herself to the bathroom.   
It didn’t take more than five minutes, but they all dreaded the seconds that ticked by that they left Winter by herself.   
  
By the time most of them had reappeared downstairs Weiss had already apologised to her sister for the mess she had found them all in.   
Ruby was the last one down, as she made sure she hadn’t left any cookies around to rot if she forgot them later.  
“So, there’s an update?” Weiss was asking.   
Winter nodded. “I have both an update from Father, and the council.” Winter said.   
Neither boded well, with the tone she set.   
“Okay, and…?” Qrow asked from leaning against the far wall, the furthest he could get from Winter without her glaring at him from her seat.  
  
Winter glared at him regardless, before sighing.   
“From Father, the Schnee dust company has sent out messages to its old trade routes with the cost of expenditures settled on, it is up to those dealers, and the schools if they wish the barter and accept the terms given to them over the CCT. I have received word from Beacon that they have accepted our terms of dealership, and as of right now, shipments are being settled by cargo train and airship.” Winter told them.   
This news perked them all up happily, happy to know the embargo on dust and ammo had ended.   
“That’s a relief.” Ruby muttered.   
Winter looked to her. “Indeed. We have already received payment for a year’s worth of contract signed from Beacon and Vale, and we intend to keep it that way.” Winter said.   
JNPR and RWBY nodded along, not exactly knowing the ins and outs of dealerships, but happy to know they had a year’s worth of it on the cards. It was Oscar and Qrow who looked to each other with relief written all over their faces.   
  
Oscar and Qrow knew that a years’ grant was the longest Atlas gave any contract due to the basis of lien always changing value and Grimm territories changing within those time frames means that the cost could go either way, or stay the same if neither changed, which wasn’t very likely, but it was always written into contracts as a clause for extensions and liaisons with those who made the trek from base to base.   
It was a way of saving everyone in the business, and it didn’t leave much outside of barter because of it. Those who signed Atlas’ contracts knew and understood this from the beginning as it was always something Atlas did, it was either go contract, or send your own Huntsmen to buy out stook at Atlas, which for some, was far worse.   
  
“Okay, and the messages from the council?” Ruby asked.   
Winter looked to her, before looking over every single person in front of her.   
“It has been decided that Atlas will not cover the cost of your leave outside of Mantle.” Winter disclosed.   
“What!” Qrow was the one to shout, while most were left confused, and Oscar groaning.   
Winter glared at him. “Be grateful that they are ready to assist you that much!” Winter hissed.   
“If you guys leave us at Mantle, we don’t have a way of getting of this god’s forsaken frozen wasteland of a continent!” Qrow hissed.   
Winter was still glaring at him. “Atlas has decided your monetary problems are not their own, and it will be up to you, as Huntsmen to leave once we cover your expenditures to Mantle.” Winter told him in scold.  
  
Qrow just groaned. “You do realise that between Mantle and the seaside port off this frozen wasteland are Grimm territories?” He asked.   
Winter blinked, as if to say it wasn’t her problem. “I have no say in what the council decides.” She repeated, making Qrow groan.  
Winter got up and strode over to Qrow, her annoyance growing, and held out her Scroll. “Here. Your itinerary from the council, you would be best to not deviate, as they won’t cover it.” She told him.   
Qrow just scoffed and held out his own Scroll for the transference.   
  
Winter turned around while Qrow waited for the data to transfer and download.   
“There is nothing else I have been told to give you, everything else is on your itinerary.” Winter told them, before moving over to Weiss. “Are you alright?” She questioned, ignoring everyone else for a second.   
Weiss near on preened. “I’ll be fine!” She insisted.   
Winter nodded and went for the door. “In that case!” She turned around the see them. “Remember Atlas will not cover your deviating, or anything else that is not covered in that data given to you.” She reminded, seeing them not raise questions, she saluted. “I bid you farewell.” She said and left without another word.  
  
Qrow just sighed out in resignation, making them all look to him.   
“You kiddies better make sure you’re all packed. We’re done here.” He ordered them.   
Ruby wasn’t the only one to blink. “…We…are?” She questioned in confusion.   
“Yeah. We’re done. We’ve gotten all our objectives done, trade lines reopened, and Atlas is kicking us out.” Qrow told them.   
Most of them were sent scrambling. “How long?” Nora was yelling.   
“Our train leaves in five hours.” Qrow looked like he had just resigned to his fate, slouched into the couch and covered his eyes with one arm.   
“Wait. TRAIN?!” Most of them yelled, making Qrow groan in suffering.   
  
./.  
  
How they managed to pack everything, and not leave anything behind and still get to Atlas’ train station on time was beyond any of their comprehension.   
Seeing the ticket gate, Qrow shoved his Scroll into the attendant’s face, who paled but nodded.   
Once the children saw his compliance, they immediately gave over their heavier bags for the cargo hold.   
“You all stay here, I need to find Scroll service in this ice land.” Qrow was muttering as he glared at the many ice sculptures of Grimm that decorated the hall, and before they could protest the man was stalking off with his hands shoved into his pockets.  
  
They all watched him leave, many just shrugging their shoulders and finding vacant seats inside the waiting room to wait for him to return, and for their boarding time.   
“So, any three guesses as to why Atlas doesn’t want to pay for us to get home?” Yang was asking, leaning against her travel bag.   
“Yeah, why not just shove us all into an airship?” Blake questioned.   
“The train system is much more affordable then aircraft travel.” Pyrrha noted for them.   
They all stared at her. “Seriously?” Ruby was asking, causing Pyrrha to nod.   
“So, they’re being stingy?” Nora fumed.   
“Why doesn’t that surprise me.” Weiss sighed in defeat.   
  
“Okay, but how do we get from Mantle back to Beacon?” Ruby was questioning.   
There was a round of defeatist grumbles and shrugs.   
“There is a train system that links Mantle to the seaside…” Weiss was muttering.   
“Ah…!” Yang said brightly, holding up one finger. “Let me guess! It’s way expensive.” She goaded.   
Weiss just sighed. “Naturally.” She pouted.  
They all groaned and slumped into their chairs.  
  
./.  
  
“Anyone want a drink?” Oscar offered as he stood up, motioning the drink machine near the doorway out to the trains.   
There was a round of disinterested vocals from those still awake. Seeing so, Oscar shrugged and fetched a drink for himself.   
He was making a choice from what was offered when someone tapped his shoulder.   
“Ru—?” Oscar stalled looking to the person.   
It wasn’t Ruby following him, but a lady he had never seen before, flanked by another leaning against the sliding door to keep it open. “…Um?” He voiced.   
“Hello sweet thing, and what might your name be?” She asked.   
  
Oscar blinked at her incredulously, trying not to make his skin crawling visible at the pet name.   
_Sweet thing_?  
“Do I even know you?” He asked frowning at her.   
Both women’s hair colour was styled up, and a very light blonde. They also wore clothing typical of Atlas Huntress’. But he had never seen them before, so why were they acting like they knew him?   
He just wanted a drink.   
“Well, we might be better acquainted. My name is Celestine, my friend here is Heather. And yours, sweet thing?” Celestine chittered away.   
Oscar sided his head. “…Why exactly are you asking?” He asked.  
  
Oscar reared in alarm when she placed her hand under his chin.  
“It gets really lonely waiting for trains, sweet thing. Don’t you want a good time with us?” Celestine asked.   
“…I just wanted a drink of water.” Oscar told her, trying real hard not to take out Silvis in a public area.   
  
Celestine smiled at him, clutching down on his chin when he tried to remove it from her hand.   
“Not to worry, hun, we’ll take care of you, travelling all by yourself…?” Celestine questioned.   
Oscar saw red outside of his vision and looking to his left ever so slightly he could see Ruby her faced scowled in rage, as much as she could without her Silver Eyes coming into play; with one hand nearing Crescent Rose, the other balled at her side. Behind her, he could see everyone else taking a huge step back from Ruby when he could almost see steam rising from her ears.  
“Um. Could you, not?” Oscar asked, trying to at least be civil, before Ruby went into battle mode.  
“You seem like a nice one, sweet thing, a nice plaything. I wasn’t exactly going to let you go.” She said, her tone going from sickly sweet to a non-negotiable demand, making Oscar’s skin crawl.  
Ruby going into battle mode would be welcomed since this lady had at least ten years to his senior, but he didn’t exactly want two dead bodies to have to explain to the cleaning staff.  
  
Ruby stormed up to them, and yanked her hand away from Oscar, growling in anger.   
Celestine gasped in offense, and Heather moved off the door to come in to help.   
“Says you!” Celestine raged.   
“Back off!” Ruby growled.   
Celestine looked confused before tilted his head. “I was gonna share, sheesh.” She said.   
  
Oscar wasn’t the only one to gape at her in astonishment.   
“Is this sweet thing your plaything then? Don’t you share?” Celestine was asking.   
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t punch you in the face.” Ruby growled.   
Celestine looked annoyed. “Playthings are to be shared around, Red.” Celestine pouted. “But fine, I’ll pay you if he’s yours—”   
In a split-second Celestine was pouting, the next Ruby had sunk her fist into her face.   
“He’s not property!” Ruby screeched out in rage.    
  
Both Heather and Celestine looked to Ruby as if in shock, before twin looks of fiery contempt rolled over their faces.   
Before they could retaliate, a whistle blew from behind them, causing them all to look at the Atlas policeman suddenly standing there.   
“What is going on!” He was yelling.   
Celestine and Heather suddenly looked dolled and teary-eyed.   
“We just wanted to show them around!” Heather cried.   
“Yeah. Sure. By that, you mean _propositioning_ a minor!” Yang was hissing off to the side.   
“What?” Mister Policeman asked, his face controlled.   
“They said they wanted to play with me. I’m seventeen, by the way.” Oscar said, popping up from behind Ruby to say, then hid back behind her out of the two’s view.   
  
“She punched me!” Celestine screeched, not exactly caring for Oscar’s age.   
Ruby slammed her Scroll into her face, with her demands from Signal and Beacon on it. “He’s my responsibility! You’re lucky I didn’t throw my scythe up your nose!” Ruby yelled back angrily.  
  
The policeman stood between the two waring girls.   
“Alright. Enough.” He ordered, then looked to Ruby. “Keep your scythe away.” He said and Ruby nodded. “And you two,” He started, looking back to Heather and Celestine who sniffed. “Be lucky she didn’t, she has full rights, now come with me.” He ordered.   
“But…!” Celestine started, before shutting up at the glare the man gave her that made her pout but follow out the waiting area with Heather.  
  
It wasn’t until the sliding door slid shut that they all cheered.   
“Good one, Ruby!” Yang was yelling, approving.   
Ruby didn’t exactly notice, as she turned around to face Oscar, with her head tilting to see if he was hurt. “You okay…?” She asked in concern.   
Oscar didn’t last a second before he launched himself into her arms as if he needed to ground himself. “Thank you…” He muttered into her as she hugged him back.   
Oscar shivered again at her words, their meaning clear, and even worse were the pet names.   
Ruby clutched him harder. “It’s fine. I’m here. You’re okay.” She whispered.   
Oscar nuzzled into her. “I hate pet names…” He barely said.   
Ruby blinked before she recalled _she_ had called him pet names as well and figured he probably had lifetimes of being called pet names by the wrong people and clutched him to her a little harder in comfort.  
  
No one pointed out that Oscar stuck to Ruby a little more than usual because of what happened, nor did they bring up that they were all a little more protective of their youngest member, even Qrow seemed to pick up on it when he returned, and he too stayed as close as he could to them, noting that Yang had the face he likened to her protective sister face was on, and most were glaring at the sliding door as if they wanted it to catch on fire.   
He just sighed and rolled with it. “Come on, kiddies, boarding time.” Qrow told them, watching in amazement that they were up and gathering their bags in a second.   
  
As they walked to the cabin of the train they were assigned.   
“What took you so long?” Ruby asked, bounding up to her uncle up the platform, hand in hand with Oscar, who didn’t seem to mind getting pulled along.   
“I wanted to talk to the resident Huntsmen who guard the train.” He said.   
Ruby cocked her head. “Resident what now?” Ruby asked.   
Qrow glanced at her as if he needed to study her. “Some Huntsmen and Huntress’ after they graduate, spend their time guarding civilian transport known to go through Grimm territories.” Qrow told her.   
Ruby blinked in thought. “Huh.” She said thoughtfully.   
Oscar looked at Qrow around Ruby. “Are they any good?” He questioned curiously.   
Qrow just shrugged. “Beats me, they’re Atlas. Its what Atlas graduates do if they can’t be Specialists.” He groaned.   
“…So, it’s the second choice. Great.” Yang said, groaning along with her uncle. “Fun.” She muttered.   
Ruby looked between her family. “Hey, come on, they could be really good! The benefit of the doubt!” She tried.   
Yang gave her a look before walking up to her and patting her head as she strolled past. “Don’t change, Ruby.” She said.   
Ruby cocked her head. “Huh?” She questioned as Yang ran over to Blake to comment on something or rather, she looked around, but no one seemed to want to give an answer.  
  
./.  
  
Ruby hadn’t set foot on a train since Anima, and even though her more recent memories were with them all, she still had flashbacks to when she travelled alone.  
The Atlas express train to Mantle was underground, or the tunnels built around the track, mostly to avoid sudden snow blizzards and storms, and the cabins were more upscale then what Mistral had.  
With the train not running overnight they weren’t assigned a sleeper cart, but instead tabled seats that on one side of the train all of team JNPR squeezed into so both Weiss and Blake didn’t need to sit away from them, since there was a ticketing error that landed those two in another seating bay that Qrow apologised for, seeing as it most likely was because of him.   
Not that they minded since they’d rather be with their teammates and they couldn’t cause a fuss with the authorities due to the fact they might get delayed because of it.   
  
Yang looked at her uncle who was sitting next to her.   
“So, why couldn’t we book out on an airship courtesy of Beacon?” She asked.   
“I talked to Oz before we left,” Qrow sighed causing everyone to look to him. “It was…suggested we not ask for any assistance in our way of getting home since it would be seen as favouritism on Ozpin’s part, and ours in seeking it, since the council believes they gave us enough money for the return trip.” Qrow told them.   
Oscar snorted and slumped in his chair next to Ruby in offence, grumbling as he did.   
“But they didn’t give us enough?” Blake was asking.   
Qrow scoffed. “Yeah. Take it up with them when we get back.” He said.   
Many filed that away to make sure they did.    
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Getting into Mantle was as different than leaving Atlas, as it was like going from an academy to a city’s slums in mid-step.   
Everything wasn’t shiny, and everyone wasn’t inviting.   
And Blake needed to immediately pull up her coat hood the second they got off the train at the first sign of the poster saying Faunus weren’t welcome.   
The rest of RWBY held Yang back from setting the sign on fire.  
  
“Let’s…just figure out how to get off this damn continent.” Qrow grumbled, as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and made his way to where the train’s handlers were placing their luggage for collection.   
“Have any of you been here before?” Nora was asking, for once quietly in concern and alarm.   
They all shook their heads, and kept their guard up, glaring at anyone who looked twice at Blake, or gapped in wonderment at Weiss.   
  
Getting out of Mantle would take some of Qrow’s lien reserve that he would be sure to yell at Vale’s council for a refund in full since they hadn’t covered them properly.   
He didn’t tell any of them to wait by themselves, to concerned with getting out.  
They needed to get to the seaside, so they could leave Solitas for good by catching the _Pride & Joy_ when it docked.  
“Okay, kiddos, book it, the train leaves in ten!” Qrow was yelling once he read the ticket the handler gave him.   
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” Not just Nora was yelling as they all started to run.  
  
They were the last ones on, with Jaune nearly getting locked out, until Pyrrha realised the doors were shutting and used her Semblance on him to launch him into the train, and unfortunately at her, sending them careening into the luggage stand.   
“Whoops!” Pyrrha apologised as Jaune groaned out in pain. “Sorry Jaune!” She added, ignoring her teammates snickering.   
“At least you made the train?” Oscar was questioning.   
  
Ruby just bounded on her toes. “So! How long until we get to the sea?” She questioned Qrow.   
“It’s an overnight train,” He threw each pair a card. “That’s your entry card, the number is your room. There’s also no roaming Huntsmen on this train, the only way we could get on for a cheaper price is that we patrol, so we’re taking shifts!” Qrow yelled before turning down the corridor and waving his Scroll at them. “I’ll message you guys at random!” He told over his shoulder.   
They all sighed. “Whatever gets us off Solitas, right?” Blake asked, making sure her hood was still up.   
Weiss patted her shoulder in concern. “We’ll be back in Vale soon enough.” Weiss said in comfort.   
“We better go find our rooms and sleep a little before we get called out.” Ruby told them, and they all split up to find their rooms.    
  
The bed was already made when Ruby found their room, even if she struggled with the door handle when it didn’t accept her card the first time.   
Seeing the bunk Ruby landed on it, face first and groaned in relief as Oscar laughed as he dropped their bags, locked the door behind them before joining her on the bed and tapped her shoulder.   
“How’re you going?” He asked.   
She whined at him. “Sleep now. Talk later.” She muttered, causing him to chuckle, but settle down next to her.   
And before they knew it, they were both asleep, the lull of the train taking them to sleep.   
  
./.  
  
Oscar got a whack to the head when both of their Scrolls went off.   
“Turn it off….!” Ruby whined and ducked her head into her cloak.   
Oscar groaned and dug around in his pockets for both devices.

_Get your butts up!  
It’s your turn!  
—QB_

Oscar sighed. “It’s our turn to patrol, Ruby.” He told her.   
Ruby burrowed further into her pillow.   
“Don’t wanna!” She whined.   
Oscar shrugged. “I will throw water on your face.” He threatened.   
Ruby was immediately sitting up her arms up above her head. “I’M UP!” She yelled in fright.  
“Good! Let’s go!” Oscar said jumping up to stand, leaving the redhead to follow in a grumble.  
  
Patrolling the train was much like patrolling at night around Mistral.   
Boring.  
With a tad more sound of civilians snoring around them, and every so often they met a half-awake civilian in the corridors on the way to the shared toilets up or down the train.  
They didn’t dare ask Qrow when he last slept, since he had parked himself at the start of the train, and told them to go up and down with their senses out to see if there were Grimm following them at any point.  
  
The only part they hated, besides the fact that they were actually up and needed to function, was going between the cars in the open, since it was freezing out there, and way warmer inside the train.   
Oscar and Ruby ran into a half-asleep Jaune and Pyrrha who overtook their patrol and once relieved they booked it and bid them night, even if the sun was rising.   
Qrow said something about that he would wake them before they got there, but that was then and all they wanted was to sleep.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Solitas’ seaside was hell.   
Plain and simple.  
It was wet, and it was cold, and there were icebergs big enough to sink the _Pride & Joy_ if her captain wasn’t seasoned as he was.   
“I hope you know we don’t have Roaming Huntsmen on this tour.” One of the shipmates warned as they went about buying tickets.   
“Well, its good that we’re ten Huntsmen, then.” Qrow quipped.   
  
The crewman’s eyes flew wide. “There’s ten of you!?” He yelled.   
Qrow shushed him. “Let’s not make a scene!” He urged.   
He nodded. “If you take the trip as a tour, you will be free until we dock at Vale?” He asked, a pleading tone in his voice.   
“Done!” Qrow dealt, then threw the waivers at Ruby, and promptly vanished on them.   
“Always on the move.” Blake quipped tiredly.  
  
They were all privately fearing that because the deal went through so easily that there would be issues due to Qrow’s bad luck, it would be why they saw a crow up on the highest point of the mast, watching them, but also watching the waters for Grimm.   
Ruby sighed and looked to her teammates. “So? Patrolling? Who was last?” Blake and Yang raised their hands. “Go and sleep, you two,” Both Blake and Yang nodded tiredly and found their way into the hold. “And first?” Nora and Ren held up theirs. “Alright, off you go, learn the ways of the ship as you do, and tell us whoever you met to take over.” Ruby ordered.   
They all nodded and set off to do their assigned roles.   
  
The only thing that went wrong, if they could call it that, was the sea was not too kind to them the entire time in open waters, making both Nora and Jaune seasick, and casting them from patrolling, but the boat docked at Vale’s dockyard without any other issues, making them all celebrate once they got to familiar land.   
“LAND!” Nora yelled and faceplanted it. “Oh, I’m never leaving you again!” She cried as Jaune sat next to her trying to get rid of the jelly leg feeling and sat with his head in between his legs.   
“Never again.” Jaune pleaded as Pyrrha patted his shoulder in console.   
“You do realise we have exams now, right?” Weiss asked.   
“NEVER MIND! THE SEA WAS FINE!” Nora yelled, and all at once got up and ran for the docks.  
“Nora!” Ren yelled catching her, making them all laugh.  
  
As they were laughing, Qrow came up and lightly flicked Oscar’s head to get his attention.   
“Hey there, kiddo.” He said.   
Oscar turned around. “Hey, Qrow!” He said joyously.   
“Yeah, I know, don’t get comfortable, I need to take you back to Signal.” Qrow said apologetically.   
All good feelings vanished from Oscar, and his face showed it. “…Oh…” He muttered, looking over to Ruby who seemed to be play-fighting with Yang over what looked like a study guide. “Does she need to come?” Oscar asked.   
“Signal’s not expecting her to, they received her report when she sent it out completed.” Qrow told him.   
Oscar caught the underlining caution, so he nodded. “When’s the boat leave?” He asked.   
“Soon, kiddo.” Qrow told him, then urged him forward. “Go say goodbye.” He added.   
  
Oscar came over to Ruby.   
“Um, Ruby?” He started.   
Ruby was giggling because of her sister when she looked to him. “Oscar!” She said joyfully.   
Oscar blinked at her, hating he was going to take away her happy feeling. “I, uh, I gotta go back to Signal now…” Oscar stuttered out.   
Ruby immediately sobered up. “So soon?” She questioned.   
Yang hearing them, left them alone to go talk to Blake and Weiss to get their attention off them.  
“Boat leaves as soon as its ready.” Oscar relayed in a mutter.  
  
Ruby cocked her head.   
“Hey, it's not the end of the world, Oscar.” She told him, and he looked to her curiously, and she nodded. “Yeah! Once we get our exams sorted! We have our graduations! We’ll be together for them! And then school’s out, so we have all the time then!” Ruby urged.   
Oscar smiled at her softly and was helpless to nod at her. “Sure! When you put it like that!” He said, happy again.   
Ruby regarded him then gathered him up. “I’ll be here, Oscar.” She said to him as she nuzzled into his hair. “Let me know how you do on your exams, alright?” She asked, pulling away.   
Oscar laughed at her. “Only if you tell me how yours went!” He bartered.   
“Deal!” Ruby giggled.   
  
Oscar couldn’t help but stare at her, before he rushed into to kiss her goodbye, one that Ruby returned.   
“Oi! Lovebirds! I need the male one to leave!” Qrow yelled a second before the ship’s horn sounded out.   
“Bye for now.” Ruby told him.   
Oscar chuckled and nuzzled his nose with hers. “Bye for now.” He echoed her, before leaving her embrace and running over to Qrow, turning around to hold his arm out and wave.  
They would see each other soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Press F to pay respects to Yang's bike.
> 
> Just so you know next chapter is Last Chapter.   
> And its 3 times the usual chapter length. Just so you know!!! ^_^


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone agrees that exams are evil. Nora kicks down a door for freedom. WBY freaks out when Ruby is unprepared and go dress shopping, much to Ruby’s horror. In all honesty, Ruby’s hate for dress shopping is such a Big Mood. Oscar gets a warning, and his application was never the same again. Graduation woes. Oscar gets kicked out of the house. Oscar walks into a florist. Twice. There’s no joke, but it sounds like one. Oscar ends up not finding his voice for a while. Oscar is still a little shit about most things. Some serious decisions need to be made, and they can’t be made alone. RWBY freaks out about not seeing an important message. The girls decide on what they are going to do as official Huntress’. Oscar and Ruby attend twice the graduation and have twice the social anxiety. Ruby has an idea that might solve their problems. Too many dresses, too many designs make Nemiko go crazy. Ozpin meddles like no one is surprised by this anymore. Ruby panics and Oscar needs to find his Scroll. I literally wrote ten pages more because of a conversation. Fight me. Ruby does her best to not speed run everything, and Oscar throws pillows.

_**A/N:**_ So this chapter is the last chapter of this story but not the last in this series, I've already started on the next in this series (read: it was fun to throw Oscar off a cliff while glaring daggers at Ozpin for putting him in that situation). This chapter was uploaded a little later, in preparation of a few things:

One was that Blooming was uploading her art for this story:  
Blooming on her _**[Tumblr](https://silveriaphoenix.tumblr.com/)**_ has put up her art of the reimagined version of _**[Ventus Silvis](https://silveriaphoenix.tumblr.com/post/182151280794/ventus-silvis-v2-by-the-end-of-the-day-oscar)**_ as its Huntsmen weapon in its folded out cane mode.  
Another is the art for both Oscar and Ruby are wearing for _**[Oscar's graduation](https://silveriaphoenix.tumblr.com/post/182152083609/rwby-au-unforgettable-silhouette-3-rosegarden)**_.  
Please give her Tumblr a visit, and all the love because Blooming (and _**[Ly](https://lythecreatorart.tumblr.com/)**_ ) do an amazing job at their art and I can't thank them enough for their art and their ears as I rant to them about how this series doesn't end.  
  
 **25 MAY 19 Update:  
** 1\. Blooming has rebranded herself as "SilveriaPhoenix" on all her social medias, and I have gotten around to redoing every url I have from her. (It took awhile). And now her name causes me to die every time I see it. so, thanks Blooming, for the rename! AND THE DEATH it causes me every time I remember why!  
2\. Speaking of Blooming, she has made a universal cover art, ~~which I stole~~ , is now featured at the start of all first chapters of this series, so yay for finally having cover art? I dunno. Its pretty. And I'm dead.   
BYE.

 

_/_

* * *

_/_

_The gentle breeze of fate slowly fades as we reunite! Memories, the lovely scenes play over in our minds! Smiling so bright, you and I look into the air... Through the tears, the sky’s so clear! Was something ever there? I’d never been the type to call out to someone I think I know! I guess it’s okay ‘cause you’re here! You’re by my side! And you’ll never leave again! So, can we stay together now? ‘Cause we got time, the rest of forever! I don’t know when I first met you, long ago: was it day’s or was it lives, was it years or lifetimes? Even if someday, if you fade away, I know that the world wouldn’t end, but if that day ever came, I’ll just say Your Name, for all of time ‘till you find me again! I can feel that I have found what I’ve been lookin’ for all this time! There’s something... I have to say to you, but it’s fine, it’s nothin’! After all this time, I think you already know... (“I love you.”) I made a vow that no matter where you are, I’ll find you again... Even now, you’re a messy crier! Even on that day, when I tried to wipe your tears away! You laughed and told me that no matter what would happen that you never would forget me! I am yours for all time because you hold your heart in mine!  
—_RADWIMPS | 歌詞  
([Akane](https://youtu.be/WdeK2YSGrEg) “Present Version” Cover)

 _  
Other music:  
[Rascal Flatts](https://youtu.be/34Ylz8GAjVE) — Bless the Broken Road (Caleb and Kelsey Version)  
[Lizz Robinett](https://youtu.be/0wGeHNkQgEA) — Four Seasons  
  
_ Chapter 10

  
Sitting in the hall of Beacon, one thing was true.  
It wasn’t just Ruby that wanted the heads of each member of the council on a silver platter once they were done with their exams.  
Or maybe just the clock up on the wall could finally tick its last tick and set them all free. This was surely how Oscar felt during his passing exams, since he finished his, the day before.  
The coming weekend would be Signal’s graduation ceremony, of which Ruby had finally gotten the invitation to on her Scroll, just before she needed to sit her final exam. For Ruby it meant a scramble to get her gown for Signal’s reception, then a week of lull before her _own_ graduation ceremony.  
  
For Oscar, once he returned from Atlas, O’Brennan had taken him aside to assess his weapon, give him full marks for its design, concept and practicality. Once he sat his exams Oscar’s attention turned to his Signal graduation, making sure that Ruby was officially invited, and making an application to apply for residency at Beacon in the new school year. It meant that Oscar needed to take another exam after his Signal graduation, but Oscar didn’t mind much because it meant he could keep a lower profile. Oscar knew he didn’t have much time between all that and attending Ruby’s graduation at Beacon.  
  
While Beacon’s graduation was officially more important and more formal than Signal’s, plus ones and family were still invited as long as those graduating put them on their lists of attendees, (and paid for them).  
Ruby was sure as soon as she got her graduating information to put Oscar’s name down next to Qrow and her father, leaving it open if they wanted to come along.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Nora was the one to kick the door open.  
“FREEDOM!” She shouted making way for the nearest grass patch to flop onto.  
It was one way the years under them knew the fourth years had finished their final exams.  
“You do realise we’re not free yet, right? We still have graduation to prepare for, as well as job interviews.” Pyrrha asked as she made her way with the rest of team JNPR and RWBY to sit down around Nora.  
“Not something I need to deal with at the moment.” Nora grumbled from her face-plant of nature.  
  
“And not to mention we need to come up with our exit statement.” Ren said.  
Nora held up her arm, awkwardly since she hadn’t moved. “Of which we don’t need to do. That’s up to our dear leader!” Nora said.  
Jaune just groaned. “Guys, you’re meant to help… Guys!” He said in defeat.  
Pyrrha just shrugged at him, sharing in their fate to work alone.  
  
“You do realise this is like our last week as students, right?” Weiss was saying.  
Everyone looked at her.  
“…That is actually quite depressing now that you mention it…” Blake muttered.  
Yang lent back on her arms. “I guess that’s the way of things. Any ideas as to what to do now?” She asked.  
“Aside from being a Huntress?” Ruby pipped up looking at her Scroll, only paying half attention.  
“What are you doing?” Weiss asked her.  
“Unlike you lot, I’m attending Oscar’s grad, which is tomorrow,” Ruby muttered as she thumbed through options. “I need something appropriate.” She added.  
The girls looked at each other in horror. “You haven’t got a gown!?” They yelled making Jaune and Ren cover their ears.  
“Why else would I be searching dresses!” Ruby screeched in alarm.  
  
Weiss and Yang were up on their feet in seconds.  
“Your Scroll is useless! You need to actually go to the shops!” Yang was saying as Weiss helped Blake up.  
“Please tell me you have a dress for your own graduation at least?” Pyrrha asked, not moving from Jaune’s side.  
Ruby nodded. “I’ve had more time for ours.” She stated, ignoring the muffled giggles from Nora who hadn’t seen fit to move from lying on the grass.  
Ruby yelped out in surprise when her sister hauled her up. “Up and at them! We’re going!” Yang was saying. Not that her sister hauling her off to Vale made any sense to Ruby.  
  
Or why Yang was shoving her into every dress store Vale had to offer.  
Or the horrified expressions of the sales members when either of them asked for a gown to fit Ruby in for Signal’s list of expectations.  
Or why several of those outfits that Signal would expect, neither of the three other girls found they liked on Ruby.  
“Why not this one!” Ruby was pouting, already done with the process.  
  
Yang was grinning.  
“Because your boy needs to be speechless, and _this_ ,” she gestured to the gown she tore off Ruby once they vetoed it. “Will not bring that.” Yang was saying.  
Ruby blinked. “Why does Oscar need to be speechless? I don’t get it.” Ruby asked.  
There were three groans of dismay.  
“How does he put up with her.” Weiss was grumbling.  
“Here!” Blake said, rushing back into the changing rooms. “Try this.” She added and thrust the garment through the curtain.  
“And actually put it on!” Yang yelled over Ruby’s grumble.  
  
Ruby struggled the entire way, from taking her own clothes off, to keeping her cloak off, to actually putting any gown they saw fit to shove through the curtain of her changing room. The one Blake finally shoved through the curtain the looking of a floor-length flared style dress that had a spaghetti strap neckline. Its bodice filled with red brimmed roses, with their green stems, the fabric folds etched in sparkling gold. Its sash was a back-bow with ample space for an emblem to the side. Its roses got sparser down the folds of the dress, with each more wider than at the breast that stood out in contrast to the black and below shadow red sheer as its main colour that flowed around the roses.  
  
She struggled to put it on and glared at the curtain.  
“I hope you’re not putting me in heels! I said no heels!” She yelled, then yelped in fright when a pair of shoes came flying over the rail.  
“Heads up!” She heard Yang call, a tad late.  
Ruby needed to blow out the ribbon-ties from the one that landed on her head.  
“The ties go criss-cross up your leg!” Blake yelled informatively.  
Which was to show Ruby had no idea what she was holding, outside the copious amount of ribbon-ties she was thankful her team actually had listened for once when she noticed each shoe was actually flat.  
Even if she did spend five minutes each crisscrossing them.  
  
“How long are you gonna stay in there for?!” Weiss was asking, exasperated.  
Ruby struggled through the curtain glaring at them all, before being astounded that they all squealed in delight.  
“Yes!” Yang was celebrating. “Here, no, have this.” Yang was ordering, shoving whatever was in her arms to both Blake and Weiss to hold so she dug into her pockets for her Scroll.  
“…And what are you doing now…?” Ruby asked nervously.  
Yang didn’t answer her as she strode forward to yank a bit of fabric out in her hand to photograph making sure to grasp the general pattern and colour.  
“I’m giving Oscar a warning,” Yang said which made Weiss and Blake giggle.  
“Uh…?” Ruby asked worriedly when she heard Yang’s Scroll ping that it sent.  
Yang eyed her and sighed. “Girl, he needs to coordinate, come on you know this!” She said exasperatedly.  
Ruby just stood there and stared, before Yang just hung her head in defeat.  
“Just…Unchange. Get this one…” Yang muttered.  
Ruby lit up hearing that since that meant they could leave.  
  
./.  
  
Oscar was halfway through the process of writing up his application to apply for Beacon’s entrance exams since none of his peers had decided to do so, so he was mainly alone. Even when he asked them, most of his friends looked faint at the idea of attending.  
He wasn’t expecting his Scroll to chime that he had a message alert so with one hand he unlocked his Scroll while continuing the write with the other, glancing over to see the message when he stalled: his pen gorged out the form from right to left, leaving a huge penned scribble as he faulted and his Scroll slipped from his fingers making a dash to catch it before it fell to the floor.  
Oscar wasn’t expecting _that_.  
  
He was expecting perhaps maybe his Signal peers asking why he was taking so long, or a message from campus saying his results had been graded and when they could be viewed, or an update of some kind.  
Oscar didn’t expect a message from Yang, a message which he could plainly read the thinly veiled warning for his upcoming graduation.  
He also wasn’t expecting the sent photo of what Ruby presumably will – and was at the time –wearing to his graduation. He could see all the colours, and naturally, the pattern of a red rose when he suddenly understood more clearly what Yang was warning him about.  
  
It was a huge risk on Ruby’s part to actually come to Signal, and he needed to make sure he represented her properly.  
They needed to match in every way he could with his Signal given formal attire – to match the pinned corsage to his lapel, and hers to her wrist to her dress.  
It wouldn’t do to embarrass her giving her something that didn’t match what she wore. Oscar would need to hunt down a matching set to the sample Yang sent him to give Ruby before she entered the school.  
He wondered if she would be wearing her hairpins…  
Oscar looked at his application form and couldn’t help but click his tongue: he needed to get a new form before he could leave, that is if he ever got his voice back from the depths it crawled into.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Oscar had the day free since it was the day of his graduation, the only people who didn’t have it free from his year level were those insane people who signed up for the committee.  
He backed out of that as soon as he could.  
Because he had the day off, it was the reason he was up with the sun, and walking towards the docks.  
He got the message last night in the form of a picture message of a half-packed bag from Ruby that she would be on the first boat over from Vale to stay the weekend. He had actually laughed because it meant that she would need to be up before eight, but he did make sure to message Tai to make sure Ruby had asked that they could use the house for the weekend.  
Oscar got the feeling that her father was looking to make things up to her since he wasn’t able to come to either graduation’s, for Oscar’s he was grading scores from the third years, and at hers, he was meeting and greeting the students coming in for the new year at Signal.  
  
Oscar only had a split second to realise her presence before she piledrived into his side.  
“Oscar!” She cried happily as she hugged him “Hi!” She cheered.  
Oscar laughed as he raced to hold her. “Hi!” He returned, hugging her close for a second longer, before pulling away. “You brought everything with you?” He asked.  
Ruby lit up, bouncing on one leg to the other, and pointed to the bag she had dropped upon seeing him. Seeing it she raced over to it to take hold of it and was back in a split second. “All set!” She said happily.  
Oscar nodded. “Alright then!” He said before she rushed around him and raced on home.  
  
Oscar wisely didn’t question when he was kicked out of the house altogether after lunch, once a wide-eyed Ruby fearfully saw the time. It gave him time to go into town to find a corsage that would match the photo Oscar had saved onto his Scroll.  
Not that he had seen the _actual_ dress.  
Apparently, he couldn’t see it. Wasn’t allowed, or something. Not until, probably about half an hour before they needed to be at Signal since they didn’t live far from the school.  
_“You don’t need that long to get ready!”_ Ruby had screamed fearfully as she rushed through the house at the time.  
Oscar admitted that was true. He only needed to wear his formal school uniform that he had never worn, _ever_. The only hard part Oscar needed to deal with was finding a corsage that fit the damn photo.  
  
There was only so many florists at Patch. Oscar feared that this late they would be sold out.  
But he ducked into the nearest one in any case and was assaulted by the many scents of clashing flora and fauna. Looking around Oscar had to duck underneath a hanging basket as to not get knocked off his feet.  
“Hello!” He called, seeing as the door was open, someone had to be manning the store.  
“In the back!” A lady’s voice called.  
  
Oscar made his way, stumbling over and through vines and foliage of potted and gift packs.  
“Uh…” He voiced, swallowing a yelp when he nearly walked face into another hanging basket so much that he didn’t see the older woman sizing him up.  
“Let me guess,” Her voice made him jump and hit the basket anyway. “You’re graduating Signal and need a matching corsage and Boutonnière.” She said.  
Oscar blinked in a wild second completely blank until the word registered a memory from Ozpin that he was thankful for.  
“Yes!” He spluttered out.  
The old lady sighed. “Dress type and colour?” She asked, deadpanned.  
Oscar was yet again floored. “Uh…I don’t…know…?” He questioned. He flinched when the lady looked him over again. “She didn’t show me. I only have a photo.” He explained, showing the picture.  
  
Suddenly the woman brightened.  
“You better keep her.” She snapped.  
Oscar blinked.  
That was the damn _idea_.  
“Uh…” He asked.  
The woman sighed. “Come this way and bring that photo.” She yelled as she was already further into the shop Oscar nearly lost her.  
Oscar needed to run to keep up.  
  
Oscar was flawed at the woman making grabby hands at him.  
“The photo. I need it.” She explained.  
Oscar blinked but handed his Scroll over.  
“Rose, huh?” She muttered.  
He really wasn’t sure if he was meant to respond, so he just gave a vocalisation.  
The woman tutted and wandered over to the roses. “I better warn you, I only have ribbon left, none of those fancy bracelets!” She yelled as if he wasn’t two steps from her.  
“Uh, no, that’s—that’s fine, as long as it all matches.” Oscar stumbled out.  
She eyed him again, but went back to her work, leaving Oscar to stand by in confusion.  
  
“She wearing any gold or silver? To match the dress?” She asked.  
“I hope so. She has gold hairpins.” Oscar said.  
Her eyes narrowed. “You got a picture?” She asked, chucking his Scroll back at him.  
Oscar nodded mutely, not that he would ever tell Ruby he had taken her picture. Once he zoomed in on the pins and the green ribbons, he handed the Scroll back to her.  
She harrumphed and went back to work, glaring at him every now and then when the Scroll timed out and went dark as she worked which required him to unlock the Scroll to get the photo back up for her.  
  
Oscar could gather from limited understanding that there would be a usage of red roses.  
He _hoped_.  
There was also a mess of green and gold ribbon being tossed about as well as leaves being ripped out.  
He _hoped_.  
Oscar had no damn clue, and it was drawing nothing up from the memories he had from Ozpin.  
The lady was staring at him again. “Give me your wrist, boy!” She barked.  
Oscar didn’t think twice about doing as she ordered.  
  
Suddenly the flower was on his wrist and the lady was staring at it critically.  
“Uh…” Oscar voiced flawed at how and why it was even on his wrist, to begin with.  
“Hush!” She barked.  
Oscar immediately quietened.  
The leaves were tickling his skin, but he didn’t dare tell her that as she eyed it.  
Oscar could tell it seemed like the single red rose bloom was swathed in twirling and curling gold ribbon between the rose and its actual green leaves. Oscar near yelped when she reached out and yanked his arm around to see how the green ribbon lay tied on the volar side of his wrist.  
“She small like you?” She questioned.  
Oscar blinked. “She’s older than me, but we’re the same height, barely.” He told her.  
“That’ll do,” she eyed it. “What’s missing…?” She muttered.  
Oscar wisely stayed quiet.  
  
“A-ha!” She cried, making Oscar flinch as she dashed back over to her workbench, and was back in a flash with pins Oscar hoped wouldn’t be prodding into his skin any time soon.  
Oscar eyed them as they seemed to have single diamond sequins on them, one she laid into the centre of the rose, and the other two into the golden ribbon, and thankfully not into his skin. She moved his wrist about, and they danced colourfully in the light.  
“There!” She said happily, and Oscar breathed a sigh of relief. “Now hold still!” She added with a bark.  
Oscar was no longer relieved as she twirled around back to her workbench.  
  
She came back at him and pinned something to his shirt.  
Oscar blinked and peered down at the sudden appearance of a rose where he would place it as his lapel if he was wearing his formal suit.  
The single red rose was not as bloomed as the one on his wrist so it would not overpower his suit, but it was the same colour, with a dusting of gold dust, with the stem circled in winding gold wire. Behind the rose, Oscar could see a single green leaf next to a gold one and to the side the same three diamond sequin pins.  
Oscar peered back up to the lady eyeing the two pieces and yanked his wrist up to the side of him to see them side by side.  
“Done!” She barked and went about relieving Oscar of the roses he was wearing.  
She waved him away and pointed to the cashier, as she went about finding a box to fit it.  
Oscar didn’t want to say he freaked at the price. But he did.  
And feared doing this again for Ruby’s graduation in a week’s time.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Oscar shut the door behind him with his foot.  
“Oscar!” Ruby yelled. “That you?” She asked.  
“Yeah! You done?!” He yelled back, putting the brown bag from the florist on the table.  
His only answer was her alarmed squeak, so he guessed she wasn’t done.  
“I need my bag, Ruby!” He yelled once he realised his bag was with hers, in the room she was currently in.  
There was a sudden bang of a door opening and shutting quickly.  
“It’s outside my door!” She yelled.  
Oscar could only chuckle and softly shake his head. He would need to borrow the guest room to change.  
  
It didn’t take Oscar very long to change into his formal school uniform and hunt down his mug to use for hot chocolate before he needed to warn Ruby that they really needed to go within the next half hour.  
He hadn’t heard from her since she yelled she had placed his bag outside her door.  
“Ruby? You okay?” He asked through said door.  
“I’m good!” She yelled back, and something crashed.  
“…Ruby?” He asked in concern.  
“I’m okay!” She said.  
“…Alright, we need to go soon…” He warned.  
Oscar pretended he didn’t hear the curse she gave out.  
  
The alarm went on his Scroll.  
“Ruby!” He yelled in worry.  
“I’m good!” She yelled, and her door finally opened.  
She appeared around the corner and everything he had planned to say to her whisked out his head without a second thought as he took her in.  
Ruby had the dress that he had only seen a snippet of from Yang.  
There were probably dress names, and legalities and _just above the knee_ this and that but to Oscar, every possible intelligent thought went tumbling out of his head along with his voice.  
“You—You look…” Oscar managed to stumble, and she blinked at him. “Amazing.” He managed on settling in a breath.  
_Amazing_ didn’t quite encapsulate everything she was to him, but it would do.  
And hell, she even had her pins in her hair.  
  
Ruby was only a little comforted that Oscar had lost his speech as well since she had never seen him wear uniform before. She doubted she could get a word out like he managed.  
But, damn, she was lucky, was a thought that crossed her mind.  
Oscar’s phone chirped in helpful alarm, that jolted the two out of sparkles and daydreams.  
  
“Right!” Oscar stumbled, not just in words as he made for the florist bag. He pulled out the box container her wrist corsage. “For you!” He managed.  
Ruby was even more stunned at the piece, and even more so when Oscar pulled out his own matching piece.  
They wouldn’t mention they both struggled to figure out how to put them on or tie them, so they would stay in place.  
Each hoped that sometime in the next hour they would regain a sense of speech.  
  
They managed to get into Signal on time, that as soon as one of the teachers saw them, bustled over to them, seeing Oscar, and mutely looking Ruby over to make sure she had stayed correct to the dress code.  
Ruby made sure to have her ID up on her Scroll, so she could prove who she was.  
She was quickly looked over, once she checked out, in veto for Oscar.  
“Right, Pine, your plus one is fine, you need to go up and find your place.” The teacher ordered.  
Oscar nodded mutely, eyeing Ruby who nodded and smiled happily. “I’ll see you after!” She said.  
Oscar grinned. “I’ll find you.” He told her, making her laugh.  
Oscar flinched seeing the glare his teacher gave him and quickly got out of dodge.  
Ruby was quick to do the same.  
  
Ruby found her seat allocation given to her when she was accepted as Oscar’s plus one and noted sadly that her father or Qrow couldn’t come.  
At least they had good reasons, she supposed. But she was glad that at least someone could come and see Oscar graduate, seeing as his aunt couldn’t spare to travel long distances for the farm.  
Ruby would be sure to send her photos should she take any good ones.  
  
Each graduating student was given time up on the stage to say something that was relatively similar to what Ruby would need to do herself soon enough at her own graduation that she actually took notes of some of the more inspiring speeches the students made.  
It wasn’t as if she had her team speech written down and set in stone since whatever each wrote, needed to be approved times three, plus a teacher.  
Oscar had it a little better, seeing no one but himself (and a teacher, for obvious reasons) needed to approve his.  
She did wonder what he would say once it came to his turn.  
  
Oscar was one of the last people on stage, and he quickly found her in seconds of him walking on stage and over to the microphone as someone said his name.  
He grinned at her, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. She knew that look. That look meant trouble.

“ _A rose within a rose, you’re a miracle. How I did wonder, how our paths came to cross? How did they mingle? sure our journeys integral. With that spin rotation of the sun’s other consorts. A rose within a rose, nothing superimposes the hand I hold. O! How I thank the gods each morn that you exist._ ”

Yeah. She was going to kill him. Once she dragged her mouth from the floor and found her voice again. As soon as she stopped being giddy. And if she could ever stop loving him.  
Ruby may have pulled on his ear later when he trotted up to her with that mischievous grin of his that spoke he _knew_ exactly what he had done and had planned it from the get-go.  
“I hate you so much.” She hissed, seeing him almost skip up to her grinning ear to ear.  
He was still grinning, even as she yanked his ear at him. “No, you don’t.” He told her.  
Ruby grumbled knowing he was right but didn’t exactly mind when he pulled her closer.  
“You _really_ don’t.” Oscar added.  
Ruby narrowed her eyes at him, searching for whatever he was planning, but wasn’t able to think much on it when he kissed her.  
She’d get back at him. Much later. _Maybe_.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
The social-anxious side of them both were glad they couldn’t stay long after Oscar graduated because Ruby needed to get back to Beacon for the week of what she described as _boring, learning how to lead a life as a Huntress_ work, which wasn’t graded, wasn’t going towards anything but to up their skills and prepare them for life after graduation.  
To everyone who knew how to navigate mission boards and had already learnt how to be a Huntress outside of school… It was going to be a boring week.  
For those who had decided during those four years, they didn’t exactly want to be a Huntsmen, there were seminars to go to if they chose to. Because like the military, it was easier to land a job with experience.  
The only thing Ruby hated was that Oscar had to stay in Patch until the day before because as graduates, they had the responsibility to lead the new grade level. The only thing that made Ruby laugh was the outright bored expression Oscar got when he was reminded he needed to attend, and not leave with Ruby when they were on their way out of his graduation.  
  
If anything, the week leading up to Ruby’s graduation was boring for them both.  
Ruby, in lectures about navigating the mission walls in Beacon, as well as outside of Beacon with the reminder that their professors would know if they skipped because they still kept the daily role, with the threat of not giving out their Huntsmen ID if they skipped.  
This was mostly aimed at Ruby, who was the most bored of the lot and could parrot what her teachers were talking about with real-life experience. Ozpin looked about ready to apologise to her and pat her on the head every time he saw her.  
  
For Oscar, he was the one _giving_ the lectures to the new students who would be starting after summer about what to expect, the dos and don’ts that they probably already heard from their homeroom teachers, what to do if they got lost, lost their Scroll’s, and anything else he could think to tell them. Hopefully, he didn’t come off as bored. Though he was a little pleased when he asked if they had questions towards the end of the week, he got none and the affirmation he had relayed everything.  
That was his cue to grab his packed luggage, haul it and himself back to Xiao Long / Rose residence before anyone could stop him to talk.  
  
./.  
  
Oscar didn’t need to look back when he knew where he was going, he had already said farewelled to his peers and professors.  
They weren’t what was bugging him the most.  
He was frowning by the time he shut the door with his foot. In the rush of getting home from Atlas, to his graduation, to her upcoming graduation, some serious decisions needed to be made and most of them hadn’t been thought of until Oscar was standing in the living area of his girlfriend’s home with Zwei barking at him in greeting.  
  
Oscar left his belongings at the door and went over to Zwei to pat him to make the dog stop barking at him.  
Standing there now, he realised he couldn’t stay in Patch for much longer before he would be moving on to Beacon.  
Looking at his Scroll he had the impression that Ruby was most likely be panicking as she and her team had hours to clean up their dorm room and probably not enough boxes before the final clean out the day after her graduation ceremony to clear out for the first years coming in in the following weeks. He did wonder where she would put her stuff. In storage? Back here?  
If she wasn’t around for his breaks… where would _he_ go?  
It would cost too much to come back to Patch every time, even if she was there, and lonesome at Beacon at best while trying to hide from Ozpin, if she wasn’t.  
  
Oscar looked at Zwei.  
“What do you think, boy? Would they allow it?” He questioned, scratching one ear.  
Zwei just stared at him and barked.  
He doubted it but pulled up his Scroll anyway to figure out logistics.  
  
./.  
  
Ruby half stared at her Scroll in panic as she came to a complete halt, seeing a message Goodwitch sent out: a reminder that the bulk of the dorm cleanout needed to be done today.  
That she hadn’t seen the message for half the day.  
“Blake! Weiss! Sis! It’s terrible!” She yelled as she launched herself back to the table they were using for lunch.  
The three girls stared at her in alarm.  
Yang even stood up. “What is it! What’s wrong!?” She yelled in panic, seeing the emotions play out on her younger sister’s face.  
Ruby immediately showed them her Scroll, and they immediately screeched in alarm.  
“Why only did you get the message!?” Blake was screaming as she paled.  
“Don’t care, let’s go!” Weiss yelled before Ruby exploded into her semblance, gathered her teammates up and rushed to their dorms.  
She dropped them inside and rushed out. “I’LL GET BOXES!” Ruby was yelling as she rushed through every fourth year’s chaos of a hallway.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
They had barely sourced enough boxes, containers, bags and anything else they could stuff their belongings into and label them before they could attempt at tackling undoing the bunk beds.  
They had barely gotten them down when Glenda walked through their door.  
“Professor Goodwitch!” Ruby yelled, dropping the bed in a panic that nearly toppled Weiss into Blake and Yang.  
“All the major belongings packed?” Glenda asked without fail.  
Ruby nodded. “We only have what we’re wearing in the wardrobe!” She insisted.  
Glenda gave her a look that past over every girl before she nodded and left.  
  
Ruby wasn’t the only one to collapse onto her bed in relief.  
“Do you think she noticed the rope?” Yang asked.  
“She would have mentioned it if she did!” Weiss insisted.  
There was a brief silence among the girls.  
“…Have you decided on what you’re gonna do after graduation?” Blake was the one to ask.  
Weiss huffed. “Not go back to Atlas, that’s for sure.” She hissed as she crossed her arms.  
Yang patted her arm in console. “What will you do for accommodation?” Yang asked her curiously.  
Weiss shrugged. “Probably accept missions that have lodgings and get enough lien to buy my own place here.” She said.  
They all noticed that something about what Weiss said made Ruby give out a twitch and her face frown.  
“Yang?” Blake asked.  
  
Yang shrugged. “Guess we’ll see where life takes me since we basically have no home here at Beacon once this all ends. I can always go back to Patch.” Yang said, then looked to Blake. “What about you?” She asked.  
Blake sighed. “My parents have asked if I could come home for a bit, they say the police force there needs a Huntsmen replacement for theirs that’s retiring.” She said tiredly.  
“So that means you already have a job?” Weiss asked.  
Blake just shrugged. “Until I can have enough lien to be comfortably by myself, yeah.” She responded.  
  
They all looked to Ruby, who was flat out on her bed, her boots not quite touching the carpet as she stared up at the ceiling.  
“…Ruby?” Yang questioned.  
“I… don’t wanna leave Vale…” Ruby muttered.  
The other three girls looked to each other, they could hear what she hadn’t said.  
Yang stood up and made her way to sit on Ruby’s bed. “Have you talked to Oscar about it?” She asked.  
Ruby nodded. “I told him. He doesn’t want me to but understands all the same.” Ruby said.  
  
“So, what will you do? Going back and forth to Patch between jobs is going to cost a lot of lien.” Weiss told her.  
“Is it bad that I’ve just figured this out?” Ruby asked, looking from one teammate to another.  
Blake shook her head. “Not really. Not with everything that’s happened recently.” Blake assured.  
“But you still need to figure out now what you want to do. If you’re gonna stay around Vale, where’re you gonna stay? You can’t stay at Beacon unless you want to teach.” Weiss said.  
“And even then, they don’t live on campus all the time.” Yang pointed out.  
Ruby just groaned. “I’ll figure something out.” She muttered.  
  
“Okay, so that’s sorted out, who’s ready for graduation!” Yang was asking.  
Ruby just groaned again, and shoved her arm over her face, making her teammates laugh.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
By the morning sunrise of Ruby’s graduation day, Oscar was already off the _Pride & Joy_ and having stuffed his luggage into a storage lot in Vale, _and_ notified Ruby he was in Vale, to the panicked reply of Ruby that she wouldn’t be able to meet up with him until before her graduation.  
Oscar knew when to leave well enough alone, seeing how long she took to get ready for his graduation.

_I will need a photo piece of what you’re wearing!  
—OP_

Oscar had told her after he realised that he wouldn’t be seeing her that day before she was ready. It wasn’t much of a worry since Oscar needed to find a fitter for his own clothing since he now owned no formal dress worth a damn since Signal took his back, as well as work on a corsage that would work for Beacon’s graduation.

_I’m working on it!  
—RR_

Her reply may have caused him to laugh in the middle of the street before he remembered he was going the wrong way.  
  
./.  
  
The good designer that fit him out was good enough to hold it until he needed it later that day for a small fee alongside renting it for the evening. All Oscar had to say was the he was attending as a guest to Beacon’s graduation ceremony and ball and the man knew exactly what Oscar needed, all Oscar needed to do was provide himself for measuring and the amount of money to rent it.  
Oscar’s next point of call while waiting on Ruby to supply a photo of what she was planning to wear so he could get corsage that would work, was to figure out how he would stay in Vale until initiation.  
It couldn’t be that hard, right?  
  
Three hours had passed, and Oscar was resolved to find that it was, actually, _that hard_.  
With many realtors questioning his age, where his guardians were, and why he was nearly a week early, and why if he knew he was going for initiation _why_ be early in the first place.  
Oscar found himself sitting in a coffee shop, with his head held up by his palm staring grumbly into his hot chocolate. It wasn’t as if he could go back to Patch and then return since the _Pride & joy _wouldn’t return to Vale in time for Ozpin to shoot him off the cliff. He didn’t think he knew anyone from Vale to ask if he could bunk with them for a week.  
  
The only choice Oscar had left was to go to the dodgier side of Vale and see if he could afford a room for the week, and hopefully make it out alive.  
It was then that his Scroll vibrated across the table with Ruby’s picture popping up to say it was from her.  
“Ruby?” He asked, picking up, he flinched when he heard the Scroll being tossed around.  
“ _Hey, Oscar!_ ” Ruby sounded a little flustered but that was about it.  
“Are you okay?” He questioned.  
He heard her giggle. “ _No! I’m fine! This stupid dress doesn’t want to cooperate!_ ” He heard her yelling.  
  
Oscar laughed.  
“And you called me, why?” He asked.  
“ _I actually didn’t mean to, but here we are._ ” She said.  
Oscar laughed again. “Do you want me to hang up?” He asked, all troubling thoughts leaving him for now.  
The was a bit more shuffling from Ruby’s end. “ _Ugh. No! Hang on! You’re on speaker!_ ” She yelled, only now a tiny bit muffled from wherever she tossed her Scroll to. “ _I can’t work these sleeves out!_ ” She added.  
“I do hope you’re okay…” Oscar told her.  
Ruby gave out a huff. “ _I’m fine, Oscar. Wearing a dress isn’t going to kill me. I wore one like last week._ ” She sniffed in retort.  
Oscar found himself laughing again.  
  
“ _How are you going anyway?_ ” Ruby asked before cursing something in a mutter.  
Oscar gave a shrug, even though she couldn’t see it. “Eh. I might have to go find a cheap hotel.” He said thoughtfully.  
“ _You what?_ ” She questioned, and all shuffling stopped.  
“I can’t go back to Patch, if I do, I won’t be able to get to Beacon in time, the _Pride & Joy_ doesn’t return until after, and the initiation ships are leaving from Vale.” Oscar told her.  
“ _And that’s a week away…_ ” Ruby breathed as if she was startled.  
“Well, yeah. So that’s why I need a place to stay.” Oscar reiterated.  
“ _Wait! No! Hang on!_ ” Ruby yelled, and the shuffling came back. “ _I have an idea!_ ” She said, her voice no longer muffled or an echo, so Oscar guessed she must have lunged for the device and he was now off speaker.  
  
“An idea?” He questioned, one eyebrow raised.  
“ _Yeah! Hear me out!_ ” Ruby sounded pleading that made Oscar pause. “ _So, what if we got a rental together?_ ” She asked.  
Oscar felt everything freeze. “You mean live together?” He asked.  
“ _Yeah! Not as if we haven’t done it before! And technically it would only be during holiday breaks._ ” Ruby answered as if she had given the idea a lot of thought.  
Oscar blinked. “Rentals in Vale aren’t cheap,” Oscar would know since he just spent three hours looking. “It wouldn’t be big.” He told her.  
He heard her snort. “ _As if that matters. We’ve shared your loft bed!_ ” She said, laughing.  
His loft bed back on the farm _had_ been small.  
“Are you alright with that?” He asked her.  
  
“ _I’m already moved out of home. It’s not as if my dad has any say. He knows I’m a “big girl”, and that I can take care of myself. I’ve had this conversation with him recently when I asked if he could come to my graduation. And I need a place to store my stuff when I’m on missions._ ” She rambled.  
“If you’re alright with it…” Oscar started.  
“ _Sure am! I brought it up, remember?_ ” She said.  
Oscar laughed. “Well sure, that takes care of once we get one, it doesn’t take care of the days it takes to get one.” He told her.  
He laughed when she cursed.  
“ _Then we’ll need to find one quickly!_ ” Ruby yelled.  
“I’ll still need somewhere tonight, Ruby.” He reminded.  
He heard her grumble. “ _Fine! One night! Because if we don’t find one tomorrow, we’ll both be screwed!_ ” She was urgent.  
Oscar laughed.  
“ _I’m serious!_ ” Ruby yelled.  
“And I still need a photo!” Oscar said happily back.  
“AND I SAID I’M WORKING ON IT!” Ruby yelled in panic.  
  
./.  
  
It was an hour or so later when Oscar finally got an awkward picture from Ruby which was probably upside down and most certainly on an angle, speaking she must have taken the photo herself.  
But at least Oscar knew the colour, and roughly what looked like gold lace somewhere on it.  
He at least remembered to thank her and got no reply from her as she most likely tossed her Scroll away the second that she didn’t need it.  
However skewwhiff the photo was, it was enough for Oscar to get the right corsage for it.  
  
This time Oscar was prepared what he would smell when he walked into the nearest florist.  
“We’re all out of cheap flowers!” A lady screamed, making him jump in fright.  
The lady levelled Oscar with a glare, her face set, and her black tipped fox ears up and alert.  
“Um. No? I hoped you still had corsages left…” Oscar said trying not to freak.  
She sided her head.  
“You here for the Beacon graduation?” She asked.  
Oscar nodded his head. “My girlfriend is graduating.” He told her.  
The Faunus suddenly smiled happily. “Oh good! You’re not here to steal!” She said happily.  
Oscar just stared at her in rising alarm, but he didn’t object to her calling him over.  
  
“Here, I like to give a personal touch. You pick the flowers, the arrangement, and I’ll put them together how you want.” She said.  
Oscar spied that her name tag said Kara. “Uh, sure!” He spluttered out, making her laugh.  
“Don’t worry, I won’t leave you hanging!” She laughed, making him pout in annoyance.  
But at least he got free reign of her roses.  
  
He ended up going back and forth between roses and the picture Ruby haphazardly sent him to compare, before freezing at the posters near where all the displays for the corsages were, and swing around to Kara was looked about to keel over laughing.  
“What do you mean there are guidelines?!” He asked.  
It was that freak out that caused Kara to burst out laughing.  
“Oh gods, I’ll help. I’ll help! Stop causing a train wreck in my shop!” Kara laughed, wiping her eyes gleefully ignoring his pouting.  
  
“No, the size counts, if it’s too big it won’t work.” Kara told him for the seventh time.  
Kara could get where Oscar was trying to get at, but seeing his frustrated look was beyond anything she had seen before, and it was _hysterical_ to see him get downright frustrated at.  
The easiest part of the entire selection was picking out the bangle it would attach to for Ruby. The next was a little easier, only to stay on roses, for obvious reasons, the next: colours, volume, blooms, attachments? Not so much.  
The amount this boy had run around her shop would make a good story to tell others. He was dedicated, if a bit clueless, but he more than made up for it in will.  
  
Oscar was beyond incredulous by this time, staring at the roses he wanted to use and the posters for correct size the blooms needed to be.  
It wasn’t as if the roses could be fake, that felt like cheating. But it certainly seemed that the poster aimed for only fake flowers to be used with its many _this size for a single bloom_ , and _this size for two to three_ , and _it cannot have more than three_ , rules.  
Kara had glimpsed the many time’s photo over Oscar’s shoulder enough to giggle at and know how to help by now.  
“Red and gold, yes?” Kara asked, finally stepping in to relieve Oscar of his misery.  
Oscar just nodded painfully. Which made sense for the red and pink, and the copious amount of gold ribbon Oscar had pulled from the wall.  
“Why white?” Kara’s only question was as she stooped down to weave the flowers into a manageable corsage, grabbing the ribbon to curl in and out of the three blooms.  
  
Kara notched her ear towards Oscar when he grumbled some sort of explanation so low, she didn’t hear it, but seeing his face, she decided to not push him further and went on to making the lapel for him with the same colours.  
The only relief Oscar had was when Kara had boxed them up, and he paid for them. He grumbled at the amount of time he had spent inside the one shop, fearing how much he had wasted he hightailed it back to the fitters hopefully in time to reach Beacon before the graduation started.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Oscar made it in time and nearly tripped when he saw what looked like a vision of red and gold flashing up towards him.  
“Oscar!” The vision cried happily, happy to see him.  
Oscar ignored Yang’s not too subtle grinning and focused on getting his voice back.  
Ruby was ecstatic seeing Oscar, not having a second guess before waving him over once she saw him. She recovered faster in seeing him in a suit, then he with her floor-length gown that seemed to have sleeves to match its length.  
  
Ruby walked up to him and noticed his jaw dropped and speechlessness.  
“Oscar?” Ruby asked, hoping to pull him out of wherever he fled to in his mind.  
Oscar quickly shook his head. “…Wow.” He muttered.  
Ruby grinned. “I know, right!” She answered happily, happy to twirl and wave her arms that her sleeves moved in the wind.  
The entire gown was a block red, with from the breast to the end of her angel sleeves a gold see-through lace that had continuous stemmed roses embroidered into it.  
If the last dress blew him away, this one left him speechless, so much that Ruby giggled at him.  
  
Oscar needed to shake his head again.  
“Here!” He was able to say and gifted her the corsage that matched the one already pinned to his lapel.  
Ruby teared up happily at seeing the corsage. “I’m glad!” She muttered.  
Glad that she was able to send the photo by herself and give the right amount of colour that he could match it.  
Oscar finally grinned. “You’re alright.” He said as if he knew what she was grateful for.  
  
“Hey! Lovebirds!” Yang was calling, causing them to look to Yang, who looked a little impatient in her one full sleeve sunset half-sided full-length gown.  
“Coming!” Ruby yelled back, taking Oscar’s hand and walked back to her older sister.  
Oscar looked around. “Where are Miss Weiss and Blake?” He asked curiously.  
“Seeing if we could enter yet, _someone_ thought it would be a really good idea to get here early.” Yang said, with a happy glare to her sister, who shrugged in non-consequence. It was then Yang was able to apprise Oscar over. “Nice suit!” She praised, earning a happy smile from Oscar.  
  
“Oscar’s here!” Two females yelled, causing the three to look to their side.  
Both Weiss and Blake were returning happily, while Ruby waved them over.  
Weiss had a strapless full-length gown styled in the Atlas vintaged back corset tie look, coloured fading from white to full blue puffed skirt that seemed to gleam in the light proudly off the numerous pearls. While Blake wore a strapless purple high breast purple almost lilac full floor-length gown that had a black swirling design across the top half of the dress, that went down a section of one side.  
  
“Hey, did you see JNPR on your way over?” Yang asked as they came up to them.  
“I did tell Ren and Nora when we saw them to meet us here and sent a message to Jaune and Pyrrha!” Blake said with a grin.  
  
“OSCAR!” Was the only warning they got from Nora’s yell that either she and just Ren, or all of JNPR had spotted them, before everyone’s vision was cut off a slightly puffy pink lace of Nora’s skirt bottom when she launched herself at Oscar, drowning him in lace of her vintage pink skirt, white laced overtop, the rest were lucky to see Ren just sighing in resignation over his girlfriend.  
“Hi, Nora.” Oscar was able to say after spluttering out pink lace, luckily still standing.  
Ruby was giggling. “Hands off!” She said, not at all territorial, but in good nature.  
Nora laughed and let the boy go, only to limp off Ren’s arm more than happy.  
“Jaune and Pyrrha are coming, we left before them.” Ren told them.  
Most of them shrugged, seeing as it was still before registration to enter.  
  
“Did she swamp you?” Jaune asked, coming up behind them, making them all jump.  
“Jaune!” Ruby yelled as they all turned around, making the two newcomers laugh at them.  
“We were loud!” Pyrrha insisted apologetically.  
All of team RWBY appraised her appreciatively, having not seen her before now.  
Pyrrha wore a sparkly red to gold floor-length mermaid gown that hugged her form, complete with a Bardot-tie on one shoulder in red.  
“Not loud enough!” Blake hissed in surprise.  
They all jumped when a bell suddenly chimed that they could start their registration.  
  
It was barely a formality that Oscar showed his ID to Glenda, ignoring Ozpin’s grin from where he stood off to Glenda’s side.  
He was not looking forward to getting hurled off a cliffside in a week’s time, so much that he glared at Ozpin, who looked as if he wanted to laugh, but formally wasn’t allowed to.  
The hall was fitted with rounded tables fitting up to ten people per one table, all set out to look towards the set-up stage, and around the middle which was empty to be used for the ball once the students graduated.  
  
“Pine, a moment, please.” Glenda was saying, once she checked his name.  
It stalled both Ruby and Oscar curiously, but Glenda waved the rest of RWBY and JNPR on.  
“Yes?” Oscar asked curious about being called.  
“The graduates will be called up to the stage, so they can graduate, please look for where you are seated for the duration of tonight.” Glenda told him.  
Oscar blinked before the formality of memory was called up, and he nodded.  
“Sure!” Oscar said thankfully, and with that Glenda moved them on.  
  
Ruby blinked from Glenda to Oscar.  
“What was that about?” She questioned.  
Oscar shrugged. “I can’t graduate with you, I have an assigned seat at whichever table they’ve assigned us.” Oscar told her.  
Ruby made an understanding vocalisation, and they made their way over to the rest of their teammates who were by the seating chart.  
By luck, or by Ozpin’s coercion, both JNPR and RWBY were at the same table, which was off to the side, more to the wall then to the middle, which they found and sat down at where their name cards were placed.  
  
“Teams that are graduating, please find your team spots awaiting graduation, please.” Glenda’s voice called through the many conversations that buzzed through the air.  
Ruby quickly looked back to Oscar who nodded.  
“Mind holding our stuff for us?” Yang asked.  
Oscar smiled. “Sure! I’ll be gatekeeper!” He said happily.  
All the girls were thankful to place their clutches and smaller bags, if they had them, on the table within Oscar’s eyesight.  
“Wait, where’s…?!” Ruby was the one to panic.  
Oscar sighed. “I’ve got your Scroll, don’t worry.” He patted his breast pocket. “I’ve only had it for like an hour.” He said.  
Everyone laughed at Ruby’s pout.  
  
Most left Oscar with a wave of some sort or a nod of their heads as they followed the rest of their teammates out the side door for the stage to find their team spot for graduation.  
If Oscar remembered properly, and if Ozpin hadn’t seen fit to change the layout on him just to confuse him, teams were rolled out in alphabetical order — meaning JNPR would go before RWBY — and whatever farewell poem or saying would be displayed on the back wall behind them, with all four students saying it as they graduated.  
  
Oscar gave a glance around once teams started pouring out that he could barely remember through Ozpin and noticed, as per usual, the professors had their own table, and were among the few who clapped for every team that went across the stage.  
He brought his focus back when he heard JNPR’s names come up seeing as he was interested in what they would have come up with as a farewell poem.

_Todays of days, for the halls we once walked, shall be silent of our footsteps from tomorrow’s eve. Our laughter shall ring silent among its balustrades and grounds. Today of days, we leave our hall to the world outside: Huntsmen and Huntress’ to be. Each step anew, ‘tis our turn to give safety in halls o’er the mountains and seas._

Oscar softly chuckled as each voice read their piece, its words vibrating each member: grief over leaving Beacon, Beacon would be forevermore silent on the basis that Nora was leaving, and that they, as Huntsmen and Huntress’ would go to wherever they were needed.  
  
JNPR came back to their seats closer to RWBY’s time on the stage, with approved ID links for their Scrolls and in the system to recognise them as fully registered graduated Huntsmen and Huntress’ in their own right.  
All four happily showed their ID links off to Oscar, as if they wanted to make sure he saw them.  
Oscar scoffed. “As if there was any doubt!” He crowed at them making Nora nudge Jaune playfully causing the boy to glare at her.  
  
./.  
  
They all paid attention to when Ozpin announced RWBY up to the stage. Oscar had learnt that none of the four girls had told JNPR what they planned to say, and all he hoped for was that Ruby wasn’t about to get back at him for his graduation speech.

_For today we know our lives will be different and true. We’re going out into the world: Huntress we will be. But alas! One thing that is to never change, as we go our separate ways: the friends we have made along the way, are our friends for all our days. So, hark! ‘tis not “goodbye”, but merely “farewell”, for I shall see you again, my friend back here one day._

Oscar swore he saw several wipe tears away for their eyes as each girl spoke overhead of them receiving their ID links. Oscar noted that Ruby had timed it well, with each girl that spoke, was the one who received their link and shook hands with Ozpin. Their poem spoke of a tale, of the four going their separate ways to follow wherever their hearts led them to, but friends to the end and only a phone call away if any of them needed each other in the end.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
By the time RWBY returned to their seats, it was around the same time dinner was slowly being served to those with starting alphabetics and those to the professors as well.  
“Food!” None were sure if it was Ruby or Nora who shouted louder as dinner plates were placed in front of them, but there was no denying that everyone laughed.  
  
Yang, at one point, had shoved Oscar onto the dance floor with her merrily as soon as they were allowed to and seemed to be doing some type of dance that involved being hand locked and hands up in the air.  
Ruby had no idea what it was, but they were having fun, with in turn made the rest of RWBY and JNPR laugh and join them.  
The only reason Ruby hadn’t joined them yet was because she hadn’t finished her drink and she was battling social anxiety. She was about ready to chug her drink when she felt a presence beside her which made her quickly look to her side to see Ozpin peering down at her curiously and fighting down a greater sense of déjà vu.  
“Hey, Ozpin…” Ruby was able to stutter out, after pretending he hadn’t freaked her out.  
  
Ozpin gave her a softer smiler that she had always classified as fatherly, if he had ever had children, anyway.  
“Miss Rose,” He started, almost making her snort in mirth. “Why is it that I always find you on the outskirts of a dance?” He questioned curiously.  
Ruby almost glared up at him, hearing mirth in his voice that was similar to when Oscar was teasing her.  
“I hadn’t finished my drink yet, and I’m socially awkward.” Ruby replied, sniffing in retort.  
Ruby did glare at him when she heard him chuckle.  
  
Ruby regarded him as he looked out to watch the odd little dance Yang and Oscar were doing, which now seemed more of a competition to see who could land on the toes of the other first.  
“Was…there something you needed?” Ruby asked, as politely as she could.  
Ruby watched as the man blinked, then looked back to her. “I heard from a little bird,” Ruby snorted. “That you don’t want to go far from Vale in the coming years, yes?” He asked.  
Ruby blinked, and silently committed to memory to murder her uncle later. “Uh, yeah, um…?” She questioned in confusion.  
“Do you have any plans on to how to make that happen?” He asked.  
Ruby groaned and would have slumped childishly were she not in a formal setting or wearing a gown. “Besides on making sure I have somewhere to stay here when I’m between missions before I leave? Not really.” She gave out in woe.  
  
Ruby really didn’t like his smile, she knew it as the one he had when she had done something, he had wanted her to do, and she didn’t know she had done it.  
It always irked her, and she always threw a pillow at Oscar when he got the same look.  
“How would you feel if I gave you a year’s worth of Vale missions?” He queried.  
Ruby nearly dropped her glass. “I would ask what the catch was!” She gripped.  
“The only real catch is that it’s dolefully boring, and repetitive ferrying civilians on train routes between Vale and Vacuo and back again.” Ozpin told her.  
  
Ruby narrowed her eyes at him.  
“Only for a year?” She asked.  
Ozpin shrugged at her. “A year is a year, Miss Rose, there’s no reason that you couldn’t continue that line of work or seek out other opportunities.” Ozpin told her.  
Made sense, she wasn’t even aware that jobs could last that long on a single provider.  
“What would it entail?” She questioned, ignoring Yang’s yell of annoyance at Oscar, who presumably stepped on her toes first, as well as her demand for a rematch.  
“Naturally as a Transport Huntress, you are asked to provide your services to protect civilians on trains, you can pick and choose which ones you want to do, get paid for doing it, as well being provided room and board for the entire time you are contracted to that one transport.” Ozpin told her.  
  
“Okay, I’ll bite, what do you get out of it?” Ruby asked.  
For once, Ozpin laughed. “Only that I send someone I know, and someone who will come back!” He said as he laughed.  
Which was a good point, she guessed.  
Ruby ended up shrugging. “Sure, why not? Do you need me to formally accept or…?” She asked, seeing as this was probably her best bet to getting paid and staying within earshot of Beacon.  
Ruby could have sworn he looked a little relieved she accepted. “I’ll send the requirements to your Scroll for you to look at.” He said, glancing around the room, before looking back to Ruby. “And Miss Rose?” He started, making her look to him curiously with her head to one side. “You best go save Oscar.” He told her, before walking away.  
Ruby looked to her sister and Oscar, and noted to predatory sneer on Yang’s face, thought it best to go save her boyfriend from harm.  
  
Ruby saved her boyfriend by dragging him away from Yang under the pretence of wanting a dance.  
“So, help me, gods, if I trip, you better catch me!” Ruby hissed into his ear.  
Oscar gave a small laugh but held her a little closer. “I won’t let you fall.” He promised.  
Ruby just sniffed at him reproachfully.  
  
“So, what did Ozpin want?” Oscar asked.  
Ruby lifted her head to glare at him. “You know exactly what!” She growled.  
Oscar laughed. “Yes, but I thought it better to ask anyway.” He told her.  
Ruby wished she could whack him with a pillow.  
“He offered me to be a Transport Huntress for a year.” Ruby muttered.  
Oscar regarded her. “Will it be enough?” He asked.  
Ruby shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out.” She muttered against him.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
The rest of RWBY found Ruby’s frantic packing the next day hysterical, but they put it in their stride.  
“Hey, sis, it’s gonna be okay…” Yang started.  
Ruby panted as she tried to close her only suitcase. She was the only one of the four girls who had kept her possessions to one and a half suitcases. “I haven’t heard from Oscar since I saw him last night.” She panted, a frown on her brow. “I don’t know where he went to for the night, or if he’s okay.” She added in a rush.  
The other three girls looked to each other. “I’m sure he’s fine.” Weiss added calmly.  
“He can take care of himself.” Blake offered as well as Yang patted Ruby on the shoulder.  
“I just don’t like the thought of him in a dingy hotel by himself.” Ruby muttered.  
It was a valid excuse since Oscar wasn’t exactly an adult, and not many establishments would take a minor by himself, unless they looked the other way and/or upped the price.  
  
“Are you gonna be fine in finding a place to rent?” Yang was asking as they hauled their stuff into the hall.  
Out of all of them, Ruby’s future was the most uncertain, since Yang was going back to Patch, Blake following her for the boat ride that passed on from Patch to Menagerie, and Weiss already having a mission that had half paid her for her acceptance to come by noon.  
Ruby ended up dropping her full suitcase by the rest of their stuff that Glenda would magically lift out the hall in five minutes to be outside with the rest of the stuff for them to haul away by noon.  
“I’ll be good!” Ruby told them. “I’ll even tell you when I get a place!” She urged.  
The rest just shrugged and hoped the girl knew what she was doing and went back to make sure they had cleaned their dorm.  
  
./.  
  
They heard the tell-tale signs of Glenda using her Semblance when several suitcases banged together making them rush outside, rushing in the fact they were no longer students and needed to get clear of the school as soon as they could.  
If anything was on Ruby’s good fortune was that due to the fact she had spent the year looking for Oscar, it had been drilled into her to keep her possessions light, which now included all her possessions from her family home in Patch. She had the least amount of luggage compared to the other girls.  
  
The three didn’t laugh when Ruby pounced on her Scroll when it chimed out it had received a message.

_I survived!  
—OP_

Ruby’s rush of relief heralded that Oscar was not dead, and alive somewhere in Vale.

_Are you okay?!  
—RR_

Ruby could barely pay attention to Glenda and Ozpin telling them that they had a few hours to get clear and off to their accepted missions (if they had any) and hopefully that they had a place outside of Beacon for their luggage, as Beacon couldn’t keep any of it.

_I’m fine, the place that let me stay didn’t have  
Scroll wall points, so my Scroll died.  
Sorry!  
—OP_

Ruby sighed in relief knowing that at least there was an extremely good reason she hadn’t heard from him all night. Looking up from her Scroll and around at her peers, she saw some dispersing with teary goodbyes and the exchange of later dates for catch-ups and noticed that JNPR was nowhere to be found.  
“Where’s Jaune?” Ruby asked.  
Yang turned to her. “Oh yeah, he said they got a mission handed to his team that would send him all the way to Argus. Something about a border dispute between them and Atlas. Both Jaune and Pyrrha apparently have family there, so staying isn’t going to be an issue for them.” She said, shrugging one shoulder.  
“Yeah, they had permission to haul out last night by Ozpin and Glenda. They did say goodbye before they left.” Weiss said, ignoring Yang’s leery eye at Ruby knowing exactly why Ruby couldn’t remember.  
Blake was the one to elbow Yang with a glare.  
  
Ruby shrugged.  
“At least they’re together!” She surmised.  
The three girls laughed.  
“As much as I want to stay and chat, I need to be off.” Weiss said awkwardly.  
“Yeah! Sure!” The others answered, before coming in for a group hug.  
  
./.  
  
Ruby stepped of the transport from Beacon and collected her luggage for the hold after sharing another tearful goodbye to the rest of RWBY as they went their separate ways.

_Where are you right now?  
—RR_

_I’ve finished charging my Scroll.  
Here.  
—OP_

Seeing the link Ruby pressed it and allowed her Scroll to show her location to see Oscar’s.  
Seeing where he was, and not too far from her, she grasped her suitcase and headed in his direction.  
  
./.  
  
It didn’t take long to sus Oscar out in the crowd as he was leaning against a wall, glued to his Scroll, watching her dot move closer.  
Seeing her come in closer he looked up and smiled seeing her.  
Ruby rushed over to him and hugged him tightly.  
“Missed you.” She muttered.  
Oscar just nuzzled into her hair in content.  
  
“So…” Ruby was saying as he locked the storage locker after adding her stuff with his.  
Oscar looked to her with his head going to one side as he regarded her.  
“Ready to house hunt?” She asked giddily.  
Oscar sighed. “I really hope you know what you’re doing.” He said woefully, and it made her laugh.  
  
Ruby had spotted the sign for house leasing, direct for Huntsmen use, and was barely able to drag Oscar into the place before the person manning could pull their head up and regard them in surprise.  
“Hi!” Ruby said cheerfully.  
The man regarded her. “This is for Huntsmen only.” He answered.  
Ruby blinked but pulled up her official ID. “Um. I am?” She questioned.  
The man could only blink but offered the seating in front of his desk.  
  
Registration took what seemed like ages, and the man, whose tag named him as Bronson, didn’t even once glance at Oscar, who by this time was getting a little peeved at him.  
“Current job?” He asked.  
“Transport Protection.” Ruby stated, and he jotted it down.  
“Do you have a duration and client?” He drawled, Ruby tried really hard to not have her eye twitch.  
“Yes. For a year, and from Beacon.” Ruby answered, quickly pulling up the clearance email from Ozpin.  
Bronson sniffed at it a little before taking her Scroll and writing in its description.  
“Do you have lien for a deposit?” He asked, giving her the Scroll.  
“…Shouldn’t you be telling her what houses she can rent, and how much they are?” Oscar finally burst.  
Bronson stared at him, before making a few clicks on his monitor and turning it to her.  
  
Ruby looked through the houses, more like apartments, with a lease of a year to the date, and how much she would need to fork out immediately if she wanted any of them and how much she would need to have in her account monthly to afford it and its utility rate for its upkeep.  
She could afford the apartments shown, several ranged in design and layout, but she absolutely hated seeing them on the screen and not in person.  
“I can afford them,” Ruby started, barely keeping the glare to a minimum. “But is there a way to view them before I make a choice?” She asked.  
Bronson turned his monitor around. “You’ll need to wait until my colleague Sanford returns from break, and she will show you them.” He told her.  
“Great! How long?” Ruby asked.  
“If she’s not late, perhaps fifteen minutes.” He said dismissively, and not seeing Ruby and Oscar look to each other in annoyance at his behaviour.  
  
./.  
  
Fifteen minutes past and the front door chimed as a business-like lady walked through.  
She looked startled to see both Ruby and Oscar with Bronson, to say the least, she almost dropped her Styrofoam cup.  
“Goodness gracious me!” She prayed.  
Ruby was up on her feet in an instant. “Hi!” She greeted and spying her nametag, speed forward. “I’m a residence Huntress, Mister Bronson here has been showing us some apartments here in Vale up on his monitor, I would be very grateful if you could show us them.” She asked.  
Sanford blinked, before stalking over to Bronson to hand him the cup before taking control over the monitor.  
“Sure! Just give me a sec!” She said, as she paired her Scroll for the list information, then looked back to them. “I will be ready momentarily with the master key, if you could wait here.” Sanford said.  
Oscar and Ruby nodded and waited by the door as Sanford went through a backdoor to grasp a set of keys.  
  
./.  
  
“Did you have any district you had in mind?” Sanford asked as she pocketed the keys and pulled up her Scroll to find the map of the houses available.  
Ruby shrugged. “I wasn’t that worried about the district and more worried about having a place tonight.” She said.  
They all ignored Bronson’s current gagging on his coffee in surprise.  
“Of course! That won’t be a problem! And you can afford the top listing?” Sanford was asking, showing the details for the highest, causing Ruby to nod nervously. “Naturally I won’t get you to take it if you don’t like it!” Sanford reassured, ignoring Bronson again. “But it means I can show you them all, and you can pick!” She added.  
Ruby liked her more than Bronson, as Sanford made the effort to not just make eye contact with her, but Oscar as well.  
“So…?” Oscar asked.  
Sandford. “I guess we start with the nearest and work outwards!” She cheered.  
Ruby didn’t know if that was any better.  
  
./.  
  
Affording them aside, half of the ones they looked at weren’t practical, or so small they were a boxed concrete jail.  
Every time Sanford chose a place that gave woeful looks from the two, she apologised and got better from what they liked and disliked.  
Sanford made a note early on, that even though Ruby was the main occupant, she deferred to the younger boy quite often for his opinion on size, feel and colour, that she knew to take his reactions into account as well.  
It was either of them that liked the space to be as open as they could without everything being in the same space, and she was sure the boy had taken a liking to having a desk space in the main area that ticked off a few houses that she knew she didn’t need to show them once Ruby agreed on having a desk would be practical.  
Sanford knew from experience that some Huntsmen were picky about the places they dwelled, others paid for the cheapest on the list, and were gone from their systems for years. It was why she was surprised to see that Ruby had somehow landed a full year on a single supplier, even if it was Beacon.  
  
Sanford stopped at a complex and gestured to it.  
“It’s among civilians, is that a problem?” She asked.  
Ruby blinked at the sudden divide she had gotten wind of brewing in the past few years.  
“Um. No. That’s fine? Why is it a problem?” Ruby asked, looking from Sanford to Oscar, who shrugged.  
“Most say it because there is a law now, that all weapons to not be loaded in any capacity on premises, but we’ve had Huntsmen come in recently in more numbers demanding they not be put with civilians.” Sanford explained.  
“Well, that’s ridiculous!” Ruby spluttered out in indignation.  
How was she supposed to serve civilians if she wasn’t near them!?  
Sanford just chuckled and shrugged. “Do you know the area?” She questioned, back to her normal business script.  
Ruby nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been around here before the Vytal Festival disaster.” Ruby noted.  
Sanford made an effort to not flinch but smile and show them the way up to the levels through an elevator, noting there were stairs for a fire.  
  
Sanford gave Ruby the key to open the door, having given compliments prior to better service to see how a house felt when the client can open the door.  
Sometimes Ruby would, else times she would chuck the key to Oscar as she sent out her feelings if she felt uncertain of the area.  
Most times if the boy got the keys the house was vetoed in a few seconds, or before the door opened.  
This time Ruby was the one to open it and made a herculean effort not to speed run the apartment.  
  
She noted to one side of the entrance was a full kitchen expanding almost the entire length of the apartment, coming up to a sliding door, she assumed leading to either the bathroom or bedroom. To her immediate right was probably the space for the coat closet or mess cupboard. Moving into the space there was a kitchen island between the kitchen and dining table that had a range of chairs from three to four respectively. While Oscar potted over towards the kitchen, Ruby noted the sliding door for the coat closet, and probably doubled as the mess cupboard at either end, since the space went near the length of the wall that had the couch on it facing the opposite wall where the TV protector was, near another door. Going around the couches was a niche that housed the study nook complete with its own chair.  
“Oscar! I found the desk!” Ruby chirped happily, calling Oscar over from the kitchen where he was snooping in the draws.  
“Cool. I found the oven which you’re not allowed to touch while I’m not here!” Oscar teased, making Ruby smack him playfully.  
  
The first door by the TV projector was the only bedroom, which by Ruby’s estimate was either a double or a queen sized bed fitted comfortably in the room boxed in by two side tables and enough room to move around it and the curtains of the outward facing window, a dresser, and on the other wall the walk-in closet on one side, and storage space on the other, and another sliding door that connected through to the bathroom, which had its usual bath, separate shower and toilet, vanity and hidden away washer and dryer near the sliding door back out towards the kitchen.  
  
Ruby liked it, there was enough room that they wouldn’t bump into each other when they were both there, and there was enough _“swing a cat”_ , room. Apparently.  
She liked the colours, and she noted that this was the first place shown that Oscar had taken a liking to the kitchen without being stiff about how small they were, or how impractical they were.  
Ruby remembered the price from the conversation in the lift. It was well within her budget, and she noticed the glare every so often Oscar gave her, so she could assume that whatever lien he made over the year, he would pitch in. Which she guessed would help towards feeding herself since half of the kitchen was barred to her when he wasn’t here.  
  
Ruby noted Oscar’s grin, and turned to Sanford who had let them explore by themselves had stood by the door to wait on their thoughts.  
“…How soon could we…?” Ruby asked.  
Sanford understood and grinned. “By that, I would assume you liked it!” She said happily, noting their nods. “Well, we would need to go back to the office to sign your name, and I assume Mister Pine here is a minor?” Sanford heard the grumble. “Then I apologise that you can’t have your name registered.” She said apologetically.  
Ruby and Oscar looked to each other and shrugged. It was a miracle Sanford went on Ruby’s official ID alone and not her age since _technically_ Ruby wasn’t of age either.  
“But once Miss Rose has signed the agreement, and we’ve changed the locks over, give or take a few hours, and you’ll be proud renters!” Sanford said with a smile.  
Ruby cheered once she understood the place would be theirs by the end of the day.  
  
./.  
  
Sanford gestured both Oscar and Ruby to her desk, ignoring Bronson completely.  
“Now, Miss Rose,” Sanford said once Ruby signed her name away.  
Ruby immediately pick up on the business-like note. “Yes, Ma’am?” She asked.  
Sanford handed over a document that weighed a ton to her. “I assume this would be your first renting?” She asked, Ruby nodded and Sanford smiled gently. “There are some rules that won’t be present in the handbook and we don’t have a first timers’ collection on our hands since we don’t really deal with first renters.” Sanford waved off Ruby’s apologies. “Now, per rules, you won’t find there, basically boils down to no wild parties,” Sanford grinned at Ruby’s derisive snort. “There is a fee for loss of keys, so please try not to lose them!” She urged giving out a pack of keys. “I made sure to include two house keys for you both.” She added, which made both Oscar and Ruby grin at her happily.  
Sanford then looked at the time. “I have your number Miss Rose, I will be sure to contact your when the locks have been changed. Do you have any questions?” She asked.  
Ruby drew a blank. “Uh. I can always contact you if I do, right?” She asked.  
Sanford smiled and nodded. “Naturally, Miss Rose!” She concurred, and neither Oscar nor Ruby could think of a single thing to ask.  
  
/

* * *

/  
  
Both Oscar and Ruby found themselves in a little café near the storage lockers looking as giddy as the other.  
“So, we basically have a week or so of living together before I get hurled off a cliff!” Oscar said, laughing when Ruby needed to sit on her hands.  
“At least you’ll know it’s coming!” Ruby growled, making Oscar laugh harder.  “But a week!” Ruby consoled. “What to do!” She asked.  
Oscar looked thoughtful. “See if you touching a microwave is any better than you going for the oven.” He stated.  
“OSCAR!” She yelled.  
  
Once Sanford had messaged Ruby that the apartment was ready for them, Oscar and Ruby took their stuff from storage, releasing the locker from their ownership and made their way over to the apartment that was now theirs.  
While the two weren’t allowed to change things like the wall colours or anything permanent, anything that was personal and not permanent was theirs to make their own. Pictures could be hung if they used easy-to-remove adhesive and they could fill the place with pillows if they wished. Just as long as when they were no longer leasing the place, every personal item went with them and the walls were still intact.  
The first things they added were three hooks near the front door, two for keys, and one for Ruby’s cloak (because how dare it be shut away!). And as soon as things found places to be, clothes in the wardrobe, suitcases stored, towels hung up on racks in the bathroom and enough food for the week stored in the fridge: Ruby immediately dive-bombed onto the bed, with a chuckling Oscar following her.  
  
“I’m exhausted!” She said as she laid out her arms on the bed, her eyes closed.  
“And you don’t have to do dinner.” Oscar stated.  
Ruby scoffed. “I don’t wanna burn the place down after not even a day of semi-owning it!” She said.  
Oscar laughed. “I guess that’s true.” He said as he sat near her.  
Ruby feeling that he had sat near her by the bed dipping, moved quickly and snatched him over her. “Ruby!” He cried in surprise as she rolled him, and she was suddenly on top of him, laughing merrily.  
Oscar felt himself stall at her above him in the sun’s glow from the open bedroom window and felt her weight settled on him as she giggles, that all he could do was lean up and catch her in a kiss that she responded at.  
Not that they knew what they were doing but ended up breaking off for air and giggling at each other.  
“As much as I like this, we need to eat.” Oscar told her.  
Ruby groaned and moved off him. “Spoilsport.” She muttered making him laugh.  
  
During the week, Oscar was finally able to show Ruby how to use a microwave and cheered when it didn’t respond by blowing up in her face like the oven used to do. By several tries, he was confident to leave her by herself with it and came back home to a place that wasn’t burning, and dinner nearly ready so much he gathered her up and twirled her around several times in joy that she wouldn’t starve to death when she was by herself.  
“Oscar! Put we down!” She cried.  
He didn’t put her down.  
  
One day was set aside to buy cushions and pillows for the couches, chairs and the bedroom because a pillow fort and fight could only go so far with only two pillows.  
And they were glad for the extra space in the wardrobe where they could store them all when they weren’t needed but liked how the extra cushions went with the already existing couch and chairs.  
One night was set aside afterwards to make a pillow fort like children they still secretly were and to tell stories with the lights off by candlelight.  
Ruby squealed out in delight when Oscar tackled her into the pillows after being hit over the head with a pillow, laughing at each other when they rolled over trading spaces on top of the other.  
  
Oscar didn’t complain that a few days early he got his Beacon first year schedule from Ozpin, that he willingly shared with Ruby’s Scroll as she slept before he even read it over himself. He made sure to put his breaks into their shared digital calendar as well the write-and-swipe one tacked up on the fridge before Ruby woke that morning. Ruby had won the argument to have the bedside that was closest to the door when she pulled out the argument that there was enough space to move around the bed when he argued he got up first in the mornings. Both weapons had a place by their bedroom door in case they were ever needed for quick access should the Grimm alarm go off.  
  
Oscar suddenly found himself yelping in fright when he was suddenly picked up off the floor by a suddenly awake Ruby.  
“And what are you doing!” She yelled happily.  
“Marking your calendar!” Oscar said.  
“You’ve got your schedule early?” She gasped as she put him down.  
Oscar nodded and pointed to the one on the fridge. “This way you can know when to come back!” He said, knowing exactly why she didn’t want to leave Vale until three days after he started school, and why Ozpin had probably bent the rules a little and sent his early.  
Ruby cried out happily and enveloped him in a hug that he gratefully returned.  
  
Packing up their luggage was a tearful event, but needed to be done, nonetheless.  
“Tell me once you get your team, okay?” Ruby was asking as she buckled her bag up against her back tightly.  
Oscar grinned. “Only if you tell me your schedule once you decide on it!” He demanded lightly, knowing that Ruby would need to go to the transit hub to show her ID and pass before they could tell which needed her on them, and she decide which she would take.  
Ruby held out her hand. “Deal!” She crowed happily.  
And before they knew it, they were locking up, and needed to go their separate ways: Ruby one way to the civilian transit hub for the start of her mission, and Oscar the other way to the airships to Beacon that would take him a step closer to standing by Ruby as an official Huntsmen in his own right.  
But not without the thought that they would see each other in the coming term holidays.

 

 _You’re only everything I ever dreamed of.  
You must be kidding me; did you really think I could say no?  
I really don’t get what everyone else believes.  
I’m only crying ‘cause I never dreamed, it’d take this long.  
  
If you want to take it to an even higher level.  
All you gotta do is say the word: you know I’ll follow.  
I don’t bite!  
If you want to make it happen, nothing’s impossible.  
All you gotta do is say the word: the walls will crumble.  
  
I want you for a lifetime. So, if you’re gonna think twice, baby:  
I don’t wanna know! Everything is just right! Cross the line!  
Kiss me once, kiss me twice, kiss me three times: be mine,  
and don’t think twice!_  
_  
Utada Hikaru —  
Don’t Think Twice ([English Version](https://youtu.be/9I4EUU-T9TA))_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So last chapter. Hope you all enjoyed! Next story will come out god knows when, probably about the same time this one did, because god knows how long 4 is gonna get, how long its gonna take when I hopefully have a job (interview bound! YAY) and school completing in the Winter (Juneish). Also, this year might be plentiful and give me an easy run with 4. LOL DOUBT IT.  
> But if it does change, US4's title is "Unforgettable Silhouette 4 Years’ Worth Towards the Future". And it basically deals with what comes after I hurl Oscar off a cliff for the next four years, and Ruby dealing with missions for the school terms. There will be lots of shits and giggles and feat more time for Oscar to be a little shit.  
> See you there!  
> -NMS / YF

**Author's Note:**

> I uploaded this first chapter on rg week to show you guys I am not dead, and that I am doing things. Have fun this thing is like 41,000 words currently. And totally _not_ because I watched the first episode of Volume 6 and freaked out that I was late in getting this thing alive up on AO3. 
> 
> This should have been a one-shot, but when does that ever listen to me anyway. God knows I hope its ten.  
> Let me know if there is something wrong and I'll fix it when I can!   
> Reviews are also nice, so, please?


End file.
